The Public House and Cadbury are urging people to celebrate St Patrick’s Day by making someone else’s day. The ads complement the campaign by VCCP in the UK where people indulge in simple but meaningful acts of kindness, like the boy on the bus consoling an upset girl and a couple throwing a bar of chocolate over the garden wall to an elderly neighbour.
The new Irish campaign hinges on the insight that although Irish people are proud of their national identity, St Patrick’s Day celebrations can feel somewhat artificial and disingenuous. With the help of Bounce Insights, The Public House and Cadbury undertook research to get under the skin of what St Patrick’s Day means to Irish people.
The study found that Irish people don’t feel like St Patrick’s Day represents them. While 61 per cent of respondents believe it is a day to show the world what it means to be Irish, 64 per cent say it reinforces negative Irish stereotypes, such as excessive drinking. So 13 per cent spend it like a normal day and 53 per cent say the occasion is more suited to tourists.
Friendly
Over half of respondents believed the friendly nature of the nation should be celebrated more. This felt like a richer, more true version of the Irish people. Sarah Walsh, head of strategy, The Public House, said the research confirmed that Paddy’s Day feels a bit disingenuous and clichéd. It was an opportunity for Cadbury to properly reclaim St Patrick’s Day.
This year Cadbury’s owner Mondelez Ireland calls on people across the country to ‘Be a St Patrick’s Daymaker’ on March 17. Consumers can #BeADaymaker by committing small, yet meaningful acts of generosity. To help facilitate these kind acts, Cadbury are offering a free bar of Dairy Milk that they can gift to someone special.
All they need to do to make someone’s day is pop into their local supermarket, scan the QR code on the in-store point of sale and Cadbury will send them a bar of Daily Milk to gift someone for St Patrick’s Day. Ideas on how best to become a Cadbury Daymaker are shown in a series of out of home ads, social and a 30-second video on YouTube.
The campaign’s PR is handled by FleishmanHillard.
