I remember watching Cadbury’s iconic Stadium ad in the 90s. It was so liberating to see a woman dance in front of a packed stadium, unabashedly. It is 2021 and we women are still told how to speak, sit and talk and in the 90s, when women barely had any good, non-domestic leading roles in ads, Ogilvy and Mondelez’s ad was revolutionary. She forgets all these filters that are ingrained in our minds and just takes to the stadium to celebrate her friend’s victory, completely carefree. She was breaking the barriers metaphorically to simply express her joy and be herself. It was way ahead of its time.

When I first got to know that the old Cadbury Cricket ad has been recreated, I was a little scared, to be honest. It is too iconic to be messed with (watch any Bollywood songs from the 90s which have been recreated recently, the result is disastrous). But again, it is Ogilvy and Cadbury. If someone can recreate an old ad without losing its magic, it is them. I opened the link to the ad and my worries melted away in a second, as a Dairy Milk Silk bar does on a hot day. I felt like a 10-year-old again and at the same time, I was extremely delighted to see a woman cricketer.

This is the contemporary take that was long overdue. The film, conceptualized by Ogilvy India, for Mondelez India, shows a young woman cricketer scoring a winning boundary and her male friend running towards the field dancing with unabashed glee, celebrating her smashing performance, as the crowd cheers on. As he passes by the security team and the woman blushes, I had a huge smile on my face and goosebumps. This ad is definitely staying with me for a long, long time. The film ends with the powerful message of #GoodLuckGirls in recognition of today’s equal world where more women are breaking barriers and pursuing their dreams.

And it is not just me. It has become a huge hit online and both millennials and GenZ haven’t stopped talking about it yet. Ogilvy India has beautifully retained the commercial’s soul by using the same background score by Shankar Mahadevan ‘ Asli Swad Zindagi ka’ and keeping the dance unchoreographed. Internet users are, ergo, gushing about its nostalgia value and talking about how they have connected strongly with the ad like they did 28 years ago. Here are a few examples of how they reacted:Team Ogilvy was scared and excited to recreate this ad but they trusted the idea and stood up to the challenge.

“It needed a brave client back in 1993 to go ahead with the original Cadbury Cricket film that became so popular. It needed an even braver client to attempt something with an iconic film and make magic out of it. I am delighted that the team at Mondelez India and at Ogilvy India has done this magic, made it relevant, exciting, and so Cadbury, in its bold and front foot fashion,” said Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative & Executive Chairman, India.

Sukesh Nayak, Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India said, “To recreate such a big hit is like setting yourself up for a million opinions. The only reason we went ahead was it felt right, and it felt awesome. We loved the idea from our gut. Luckily, so did the client.”

We reached out to senior creative folks from the advertising industry to find out their opinion on this remake. Here’s what they had to say:

Russell Barrett, CCO & CEO, BBH India and Publicis Worldwide India:
Firstly, let me start by saying that the original Cadbury’s ad was not just a lovely ad for its time, but the sheer infectious joy that ad captured ensured it also travelled well. Even through time. It was at that time already an ad that promoted a strong, confident female narrative.
But remaking an old classic does not immediately guarantee that the remake will be successful. Many ads have been remade over the years and have not managed to gain this kind of traction. The ads detractors (yes, there are a few) feel it has been opportunistic, however, I believe that it has made a culturally relevant point at a time where we are seeing the emergence of a strong social narrative. Timing is eventually everything and the timing of this ad couldn’t have been better than today. Especially after the brilliant showing of our female athletes in Tokyo and of course at the onset of the women’s teams tour of Australia.

Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group:
Advertising’s relationship with the Cadbury girl goes way beyond the brand itself. We’ve shamelessly borrowed her for countless manifestoes, avs, references and moodboards to represent carefreeness or unbridled joy. Because in that inimitable jig, all of us saw a bold girl who crossed more than just the boundary rope. Today, that same jig has been used to salute our bold girls in blue. I’ve always believed that the true power of advertising lies in being able to have conversations with society. The girl did it then and the boy is doing it now.

Mukund Olety- Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R India:

The original was the reason behind a lot of people joining advertising. It truly defined a generation. What an iconic it was! And to recreate this classic required some guts, conviction and brave clients. And thank God for that. Hitting straight out of the park, this recreated classic turns gender roles over its head and defines the new generation. As a standalone, it’s a lively ad with a clear message. It’s charming and memorable. Add a sprinkle of nostalgia for goosebumps.

I really hope the ad industry does not jump on to the remaking bandwagon. Like Bollywood. The first couple of times, it’s fun but when you overdo it, it gets to you.

The changing narrative around gender reflects the changing society and mindset. And I am glad more and more brands are saying the right things, even in their mainstream communication and not just as a one-off or an awards piece.

Ramanuj Shastry, Director and Co-founder, Infectious Advertising:
Nostalgia is a powerful feeling and the new Cadbury’s Dairy Milk ad inspires that among the 45+ crowd who watched the original some 27 years back. Refreshing the ad by flipping the genders of the protagonists is a smart move. The ad confirms to the changing gender stereotypes in the A&M Industry.