Cadbury's unwraps 'Memory' ad with dementia twist

Cadbury is tapping into its partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK for the latest instalment of the Dairy Milk “There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone” brand platform, with a new campaign aimed at celebrating the brand’s role in the nation’s shared memories and supporting the charity’s mission for a cure for dementia.

Created in partnership with its global agency VCCP, the campaign is designed to further Mondelez-owned brand’s mission to inspire acts of generosity while highlighting how gifting chocolate can serve as a powerful gesture of kindness and connection.

At the heart of the campaign is a 60-second film that tells a story of a daughter visiting her father at his home, a bar of Cadbury Wholenut chocolate in hand. Her father, living with dementia, smiles at the sight of the chocolate, recognising it as a gift his daughter has bought him since she was a child.

In this moment, he does not recognise her as his daughter. Instead, he begins to tell her how this ritual gifting always makes his wife laugh – because, as he proudly reveals, he’s always hated nuts.

The daughter cannot help but laugh, touched by the idea that her father has kept this secret for so long. As he looks at her earnestly, he asks her not to tell his ‘daughter’ – meaning her – about the secret, because “it makes her so happy” the daughter responds softly “It does.”

She recognises the quiet generosity of her father’s long-held secret, something he has kept hidden from her all these years, despite not always remembering who she is.

To ensure the story’s accurate portrayal of people living with dementia, Cadbury consulted with specialists throughout the development of the film.

Cadbury has extended its partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, into 2025, having first joined together in 2024.

‘Memory’ marks the seventh year of Cadbury’s brand platform, which has featured previous films such as ‘Mum’s Birthday’, ‘Fence’, ‘Bus’.

Cadbury senior marketing director Elise Burditt said: “At Cadbury, we believe that generosity has the power to bring people closer together. ‘Memory’ illustrates how even a small gesture, like gifting a bar of chocolate, can hold deep meaning and connect us in unexpected ways. We’re incredibly proud to continue to work with Alzheimer’s Research UK to support their vitally important work.”

VCCP exdecutive creative directors Chris Birch and Jonathan Parker added: “We’re incredibly proud to continue our partnership with Cadbury on “There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone”. ‘Memory’ is a beautifully told tale that centres around, surprisingly, a long standing deceit. Yet it couldn’t be more generous. We hope people love it. The writing is straight from the heart.”

‘Memory’ was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content production studio Girl&Bear with media led by Publicis Media and PR led by Ogilvy. The film will run across the UK throughout 2025, appearing on TV, VOD, YouTube, and in cinemas.