Picture: Explore frame-for-frame comparisons of the original campaign (top) with the new version (bottom).

In 1993 Ogilvy India created one of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s most iconic advertisements, ‘Asli Swad Zindagi ka.’ Earlier this year, Ogilvy and Mondelēz refreshed the campaign with a new focus that supports gender equality.

The original Cadbury creative featured a young woman dancing happily on a cricket ground to celebrate her boyfriend scoring a century. In 2021, the creative team felt it was time to update the advertisement and recognize the fantastic contribution women make to sport — particularly cricket.   

Conceptualised by an all-female creative team, the reimagined campaign was shot frame-for-frame in a style that follows the original ad, with one significant twist. Instead of centering the narrative around a male cricketer and his female supporter, the advertisement casts a woman cricketer batting, and her male supporter celebrating her achievement on the ground. The film ends with the campaign hashtag, #GoodLuckGirls, a call to celebrate and inspire girls and women across not just sport, but all fields.

Ogilvy and Mondelēz decided to retain the magic of the original film by using the original soundtrack. In terms of casting, the two main characters represent minority communities in India.

The progressive update to an iconic advertisement tapped into feelings of nostalgia amongst Indian audiences, but ultimately created a campaign that has been received as contemporary and modern in the local market. #GoodLuckGirls was shared by local celebrities and sports personalities as well as key governing bodies, such as the International Cricket Council. To date, the campaign has received more than 47 million views across social media since its launch, with earned media estimated to be Rs. 8 million and rising.

Watch the new campaign video below.