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Shah Rukh Khan, for every corner shop

  • Cadbury
  • India
  • Diwali 2021
  • 2 min
  • Made for Instagram

the biggest star in India, starring in your local shop's ad. the crossover we didn't know we needed.

A shop shelf in India stocked with Cadbury chocolate under a sign reading A Cadbury for every occasion
Photo: SnapMeUp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
tan.aiCampaign teardown
  1. A Cadbury case study. Shah Rukh Khan, for every corner shop. How Cadbury used AI to lend its biggest star to small shops.
  2. The problem: big brands get the ads. Diwali 2021 came after a hard year for small shops in India. Corner shops, shoe stores and electronics sellers couldn't afford a star. Cadbury could.
  3. The idea: a free ad, starring SRK. With Rephrase.ai, Cadbury and Ogilvy built an AI version of Shah Rukh Khan's face and voice. A shop owner could make an ad where he names their store.
  4. How it worked. Four templates: fashion, footwear, kirana and electronics. Owners added their shop name and area. The ads ran for people near that shop, by pin code.
  5. The receipts. +35% Cadbury Celebrations sales over Diwali. 4 AI templates. Grand Prix, Creative Effectiveness, Cannes Lions 2023. Sources: WARC, Cannes Lions.
  6. Copy this. Give your best asset to your smallest customers. Personal works when it's useful to the person, not just about them.
  7. That's it. Mostly about someone else's shop. Cadbury made an ad that was mostly about someone else's business. I'd love to see a software company try that with its customers.

tan.ai Cadbury lent its biggest star to small shops, with AI. Swipe →

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why I picked it: the product here is the ad maker, not the chocolate. plot twist.

what I'd test: would shop owners use it without the star? i doubt it. SRK is carrying.

where I use this: give your smallest customers your best feature first.

drag or swipe the post, you know the drill →

my notes (3)
  • why I picked it: the product here is the ad maker, not the chocolate. plot twist.
  • what I'd test: would shop owners use it without the star? i doubt it. SRK is carrying.
  • where I use this: give your smallest customers your best feature first.

all seven slides

Written for Instagram. Seven slides, one idea.

Photos: Evan-Amos (public domain) and SnapMeUp (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons. Numbers: WARC and Cannes Lions 2023.

the receipt

One star, many shops.

RECEIPT · NOT JUST A CADBURY AD

AI TEMPLATES
4
STARS
1 (SRK, THE KING)
CELEBRATIONS SALES
+35%
CANNES LIONS 2023
GRAND PRIX
FREE ADS FOR SHOPS
YES

SOURCES: WARC, CANNES LIONS

RECEIPT · NOT JUST A CADBURY AD SOURCES: WARC, CANNES LIONS TAPto print

RECEIPT · NOT JUST A CADBURY AD

AI TEMPLATES
4
STARS
1 (SRK, THE KING)
CELEBRATIONS SALES
+35%
CANNES LIONS 2023
GRAND PRIX
FREE ADS FOR SHOPS
YES

SOURCES: WARC, CANNES LIONS

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