Cadbury Gems Forays into the World of NFTs to Generate Funds for Less Fortunate Kids

Cadbury Gems, one of India’s oldest and much-loved chocolate button brand, has announced the launch of its first ever NFTs (non-fungible tokens) through the latest Junior NFT campaign. 

From launching the successful online Cadbury Gems birthday party with YouTube sensations Aayu- Pihu, to, introducing the Cadbury PlayPad, an augmented reality gaming experience to make learning fun, the brand continues to leap into the world of today’s tech savvy generation and provide innovative engagements for every parent focused on their kid’s development. With Junior NFT, the brand has taken its efforts a notch higher by associating with blockchain platform, GuardianLink to convert artwork made by kids around the country into NFTs; celebrating their colourful imagination.

Moving the needle from storytelling to story doing, the brand has also partnered with Save The Children to use the proceeds from the NFT sales towards the education of underprivileged children; focusing on getting them back to school, purchasing educational equipment, etc.

To bring this idea alive, the brand has identified a phase-wise approach kickstarting mid-July wherein parents will be invited to upload their child’s art directly onto the microsite. Through these entries, the brand will curate a one-of-its-kind online gallery of digital collectibles, and potential buyers will be given an opportunity to purchase these unique assets through fiat currency. After every purchase the NFT will be stored in their wallet.

Weaving joy and purpose in the most colourful way, the cycle of goodness will be never ending with these NFTs as various buyers will be able to bid and purchase it again and again; making it the longest running charity campaign. 

Commenting on the campaign, Anil Viswanathan, vice president - marketing, Mondelez India said, “Digital collectibles and blockchain technology is slowly gathering pace in India and NFTs are an enabler for us to offer an immersive experience to our consumers. After the successful online Gems birthday bash, the PlayPad learning application, etc., Cadbury Gems Junior NFT campaign is yet another step towards leveraging newer platforms to create meaningful moments of joy and learning for every child and parent. With joy and purpose at the heart of everything we do, we will be hosting NFT auctions to raise funds for the education of under-privileged kids around the country. We hope our campaign works as a springboard and inspires thousands of parents focused on nurturing and contributing towards the passion of their children. We are eager to see the response and look forward to receiving support for the brand’s first NFT with a cause.”

Ramkumar Subramanian, CEO and co-founder, GuardianLink added, “GuardianLink is happy to associate with  Cadburys Gems, and Mondelez for its one of a kind NFT creation. GuardianLink aims at elevating the potential of NFTs, by diversifying with brands and artists across the globe. It is also exciting to witness how brands are effectively connecting with their next generation consumers via launching curated NFT collections. This, is perhaps a big leap in the timeline of setting up NFT's prominence and in making NFTs accessible to all"

Yasmin Riaz, director, resource mobilisation for Save the Children, India said, “This heart warming campaign launched by Mondelez holds great value for us since both education and psychosocial support are critical areas of Save the Children’s programmes. The activity also gives children a sense of engagement and emotional wellbeing and inspires them to contribute towards securing rights of children from marginalised communities.”

Furthermore, Shekhar Banerjee, chief client officer head, West, Wavemaker India said, “This is a complex execution specially given the low adoption of NFTs. As one WPP team we worked together with our tech partners to ensure a seamless experience for the end user & drive maximum output for the campaign – all for a cause to help the young artists harness their talent to help create a future for under privileged kids, which is as colourful as Cadbury Gems.”

Neville Shah, senior executive creative director, Ogilvy, added, “Kids love to draw. EVERYWHERE. The idea came from what if we could turn their urge to draw into something even more. Something that brings colour into the life of others. Launching their drawings as NFTs, it gives them a chance to flaunt their skills, sell their art and in turn, help bring a little bit of colour and masti into the life of another. The best part about the idea is that it can potentially last forever.”

Cadbury Gems Junior NFT will be supported with a high decibel integrated marketing campaign including partnerships with leading online platforms, influencer engagement, and strategic engagement on social media channels, even across NFT communities.