A Century of Sweetness: The Evolution of Cadbury Ads & Slogans

A CENTURY OF SWEETNESS: THE EVOLUTION OF CADBURY ADS & SLOGANS

© History Oasis
  • 1928: "A glass and a half of full cream milk in every half pound" slogan
  • 1959: "Flake Girl" ads begin
  • 1968: "All because the lady loves Milk Tray" campaign launches
  • 1970s: "Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case" song
  • 1980s: "Just a finger of Fudge..." jingle; Wispa ads with Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones
  • 1990s: "Don't do it Jonny!" (Caramilk/Caramello) slogan
  • 2007: Gorilla drumming to Phil Collins
  • 2012: "Free the Joy" and "Joyville" campaigns
  • 2020s: "There's a glass and a half in everyone" slogan

A GLASS AND A HALF OF FULL CREAM MILK IN EVERY HALF POUND

Source: Cadbury

The slogan "A glass and a half of full cream milk in every half pound" was introduced by Cadbury in 1928 to promote their Dairy Milk chocolate.

This iconic tagline emphasized the high milk content of Cadbury's chocolate. I set the chocolate apart from competitors and established a marketing message that would endure for nearly a century.

FLAKE GIRL

Source: Cadbury

The "Flake Girl" advertising campaign for Cadbury's Flake chocolate bar was launched in 1959.

It featured attractive young women sensually enjoying the crumbly chocolate in various dreamy settings.

This provocative and memorable campaign became one of the longest-running in British advertising history. It continued in various forms for over five decades.

ALL BECAUSE THE LADY LOVES MILK TRAY

Source: Cadbury

The "All because the lady loves Milk Tray" campaign, launched in 1968, introduced the iconic Milk Tray Man character—a daring, James Bond-like figure who would go to extreme lengths to secretly deliver a box of Milk Tray chocolates to a woman.

This adventurous and romantic campaign captured the public's imagination and ran for over three decades.

EVERYONE'S A FRUIT AND NUT CASE

Source: Cadbury

The "Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case" ad campaign for Cadbury's Fruit & Nut chocolate bars was launched in the 1970s, featuring a catchy jingle set to the tune of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

The memorable ads, starring comedian Frank Muir, humorously suggested that anyone who enjoyed the chocolate bar was a bit eccentric.

JUST A FINGER OF FUDGE… & WISPA ADS

Source: Cadbury

The 1980s saw Cadbury leveraging catchy jingles and popular comedians in their advertising campaigns.

The Fudge bar's memorable slogan "Just a finger of Fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat" became a staple of British television.

While the Wispa chocolate bar ads featured the well-known comedy duo Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, capitalizing on their popularity to promote the new aerated chocolate product.

DON'T DO IT JONNY!

Source: Cadbury

The "Don't do it Jonny!" commercials for Cadbury's Caramilk (known as Caramello in some markets) became a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s, particularly in Canada.

This series of commercials revolved around the premise of people trying to uncover the secret of how Cadbury gets the caramel into the Caramilk bar.

Often with humorous and disastrous results.

IN THE AIR TONIGHT

Source: Cadbury

The Cadbury's Gorilla advertisement, which aired in 2007, featured a lifelike gorilla passionately playing the drums to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

This unconventional and surreal ad, which had little direct connection to chocolate, became a viral sensation.

It’s considered one of the most successful and memorable commercials of the decade.

FREE THE JOY & JOYVILLE

Source: Cadbury

In the 2010s, Cadbury shifted its advertising focus towards the concept of joy, with two major campaigns:

  • The "Free the Joy" campaignsome text
    • launched in 2012, aimed to associate Cadbury products with moments of pure, uninhibited happiness
  • The "Joyville" campaignsome text
    • introduced around the same time, depicted a fantastical world where Cadbury chocolates were made

THERE'S A GLASS AND A HALF IN EVERYONE

Source: Cadbury

The "There's a glass and a half in everyone" campaign, launched in the early 2020s.

It is a modern reimagining of Cadbury's iconic "glass and a half" slogan.

This new campaign aims to celebrate the generous instincts in everyone, connecting the brand's heritage of generosity (represented by the extra half glass of milk in every bar) with acts of kindness and connection in everyday life.

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