Have you heard of the Cadburys Creme egg PR stunt? It’s an interesting one and you’d wonder whether an egg-related PR stunt would work. But with eggs, love them or hate them, they are a big part of our lives – they’re as much a part of our Easter tradition as Brussels sprouts are at Christmas.
Cadburys Creme eggs have been the subject of much debate over the years. Most recently Mondalez, (the US owner of Cadburys), was attacked for allegedly changing the sacrosanct Creme Egg recipe – ditching the Dairy Milk shell for one made from a standard cocoa chocolate mix.
Fans saw it as an assault on one of Britain’s most loved brands, and sales ‘dipped’ as people deserted the brand on principle. And by ‘dipped’, we mean a £10m loss on sales.
In order to win the public back and reignite Britain’s love affair with the Creme Egg, Modalez has opened up a ‘Creme Egg Cafe’ in Soho: a three-storey pop-up venue that is serving up four Creme egg based dishes.
Open for seven weeks, the cafe immerses fans in the Creme egg brand. The first floor is take-away only, selling crème egg toasties.
There’s also a locked bird cage with free chocolate to whoever can break the code, and a game to find a “wanted” Creme Egg with a mask that is hidden somewhere in the building.
On the second floor, you can sit down and enjoy more of a meal – if you count Creme Egg and soldiers, a Creme Egg tray bake, or mini Creme Eggs and strawberries as a meal. And on the third floor there is a ball pit where you can work off all the sugar.
Buzz
Despite the fact that the Creme Egg Cafe has no celebrity chef, snazzy interior design, and just five tiny tables, it has attracted a huge amount of buzz in the press, and an impressive waiting list.
But why?
Despite the negative publicity surrounding Mondalez, there is still a cult-like, die-hard love for the Cadbury Creme Egg among the populous.
Combining that with a novel, sensory pop-up experience complete with Creme egg giveaways and interactive games may be just what the brand needs to do to get people talking about the Creme egg in a positive way again.
If you can’t wait to sink your teeth into the oozy goodness of a Crème egg confectionary marvel, the café is located at 26 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 5DE. January 22–March 6. Fridays 5pm–9pm, Saturdays and Sundays 2pm–6pm.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
