Unity Bar

India is home to more than 1.3 billion people and enjoys a multiplicity of languages and cultures. Ever since independence 72 years ago, the country has not just respected, but celebrated these differences.

But in recent years religious intolerance has escalated, with discrimination causing deep divisions among people who used to co-exist harmoniously. This tension has been exacerbated by an economic slowdown.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has been celebrating happiness and joyous moments for all Indians since Independence in 1947 and wanted to help people rekindle the feeling of ‘unity in diversity’.

India’s Independence Day is a national holiday. It is meant to be a time of unity when all Indians celebrate their country. It was the perfect focus for our campaign – a chance to grab consumer’s attention on the one day of the year when every Indian would be thinking about togetherness and open to a positive message.

The campaign idea was simple and symbolic. We created the Unity Bar – a bar of Dairy Milk in which dark, blended, milk and white chocolate came together in one bar for the first time, reflecting the coming together of every Indian. The Unity Bar was launched on the 73rd Independence Day to celebrate and remind everyone of what’s great about the nation.

On the morning of Independence Day, people woke up to front page ads for the bar in newspapers across the country. The headlines were in languages unfamiliar to each region, with copy underneath in the local language, to promote a message of unity for every Indian.