Easter is traditionally a time for family, friends, tradition, and eggs. Lots and lots of eggs. But for advertisers, it's also an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and capture the spirit of the holiday.
From chocolate bunnies to egg hunts and everything in between (note that Christian iconography is rarely used for obvious reasons), Easter has become a staple in the advertising world. But what ads do you think of when you think of Easter?
Here, to mark Egg Day 2023, I’ll be focusing on some of the most iconic, eggy, and chocolatey Easter ads of all time.
Deliveroo “Game of Thrones Dragon Egg”
In 2019, Deliveroo teamed up with HBO's Game of Thrones for a unique Easter advertising campaign. The campaign offered customers the chance to order a "dragon egg" from selected restaurants on the Deliveroo app, which contained a surprise inside. The eggs were designed to look like the iconic dragon eggs from the series and were filled with a range of Easter treats. The campaign was a huge success and was a great example of a creative and engaging Easter campaign that captured the imagination of the public.
Cadbury Creme Egg - "How Do You Eat Yours?"
Perhaps the most iconic Easter ad of all time is Cadbury's "How Do You Eat Yours?" campaign for their Creme Eggs. The ad, which first aired in 1985, features a variety of people enjoying their Creme Eggs in quirky and unusual ways. From using a hammer to crack the egg open to frying it up in a pan, the ad encouraged viewers to get creative with their Creme Eggs. The tagline "How Do You Eat Yours?" became a cultural phenomenon and is still associated with Cadbury's Creme Eggs today.
M&M's - "Easter Bunny"
M&M's has been a staple brand of the chocolate world for decades, and their Easter ads from the mid 90’s are some of the most fondly remembered. The commercial features the famous M&M's characters, with the yellow M&M dressed as incredibly tasty and colourful Easter Bunnies. The ad is simple but effective and the red and yellow M&M characters will always be a welcome addition to any campaign.
Asda - "Giant Hen"
Asda's "Giant Hen" campaign is one of the most memorable Easter ads of recent years. The ad features a giant CGI hen that lays Asda's chocolate eggs, much to the delight of the assembled masses at the local Asda. The campaign was a huge success for the brand, with the giant hen becoming a beloved symbol of Easter in the UK.
Waitrose - "Heston's Egg"
In 2016, Waitrose teamed up with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to create a show-stopping Easter egg. The "Heston's Egg" campaign featured a series of ads that showcased the egg's unique and unusual design, which was inspired by a Faberge egg. The ad's sleek and sophisticated style appealed to Waitrose's upscale customer base and cemented the brand's reputation as a purveyor of high-end Easter treats.
Nestle Chocolate Easter - "Alice"
Nestle's "Alice" ad is a play on the classic Alice in Wonderland story and features a young girl named Alice who quite literally doesn’t fit in to everyday society and only starts to feel like she belongs when she comes home for Easter. The ad's whimsical and enchanting tone, combined with the beautiful visuals, make it a true Easter classic.
Sainsbury's - "Easter Your Way”
The supermarket chain’s range of Easter ads from 2018 are filmed in stark black and white with the occasional bursts of colour highlighting how Easter staples like chocolate eggs and hot cross buns bring a little light and joy into our otherwise drab existences. Not sure if that’s the point they were trying to make but either way it’s a fun campaign!
Cadbury “Humpty”
The chocolate pioneers have been known to drop a banger of an ad from time to time (quite literally in the case of the infamous drummer gorilla). This Easter ad from 2012, however, might be my favourite Cadbury ad and is a bit of a hidden gem. It features the beloved fairy tale character Humpty Dumpty apparently about to jump from a skyscraper to his death… but there’s a twist.
M&S “This is M&S Easter Food”
“This isn’t any easter egg, this is Colin the Caterpillar living his best life… and this is a giant Percy Pig.” If that sentence alone doesn’t sell you on this ad, I don’t know what will!
Carlsberg “If Carlsberg did Chocolate Bars”
Carlsberg is known for its witty, irreverent campaigns, and its "If Carlsberg did Chocolate bars" campaign was no exception. It featured a series of billboards and print ads with the tagline "If Carlsberg did Chocolate bars, they'd probably be the best chocolate bars in the world". The ads were designed to look like traditional chocolate bar packaging, but with the Carlsberg logo and green colour scheme. In one very notable case, the wrapper was peeled back to reveal a legitimate pub made completely out of chocolate. A “chocolate bar” if you will. The campaign was a great example of Carlsberg's tongue-in-cheek approach to advertising.
Any we’ve missed out? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
