As Ireland began to move out of one of the worst recessions in memory, Cadbury wanted to create a campaign to lift spirits, deliver hope and get the nation dreaming of striking it rich! The Irish are famous for their love of a good story and sense of humor. Cadbury sought to capitalize on these traits, devising a five-day hoax to lighten the mood and give citizens a fantastical storyline to grab hold of. “Gold fever” was about to take hold of the Emerald Isle.

It began here: Entering year two, Cadbury’s “Unwrap Gold” promotion (10 gold-wrapped candy bars redeemable for 18-carat gold bars) needed a fresh and captivating creative platform.

Recognizing a bigger opportunity to engage people at a deeper level, Cadbury set the stage.

The story: “Chuck O’Byrne,” an old prospector, was in search of Ireland’s legendary Wicklow Gold motherlode first discovered during the early 19th century gold rush. He believed gold had been ‘unshook’ during two recent real earthquakes. In the Wicklow hills, “hikers” captured Chuck on video, then posted on YouTube. A partnership with Ireland’s leading online news blog along with a clever media spend and prime-time TV slot drove people to the video.

Reaction was swift, with nearly 1m engagements in five days, sparking broad conversation about finding gold. (“Best news I've heard in years… now where did I put that pan?”)

Campaign yielded a 38% combined- value sales increase for key Cadbury brands, capturing share of singles versus the same period the previous year.

Authenticity. We delved into the real-life 19th century gold rushes in Ireland for solid historical grounding. For the perfect “Chuck,” we found Richard Marsh - an older, out-of-time “character” - on the crowded streets of Dublin.

Video. “Hikers” videotaped “Chuck” panning. The video – shot by fashion videographer Jamie Delaney – went for an amateur look but with style values fitting for Cadbury.

News Media Partner. We partnered with online news blog www.journal.ie, negotiating that content be sponsored but not branded to get it in under reader radar.

Monday - YouTube video of Chuck posted to Journal.ie

Tuesday - Journal.ie breaks story

Wednesday - Journal.ie runs 2nd article

Thursday - Journal.ie runs 3rd gold-related article. Mock prime-time news intros on Ireland’s national news channel RTE reach 500,000 viewers

Friday - Journal.ie reveals the Chuck story as a hoax, Cadbury branding appears on the site and visitors are driven to Unwrap Gold promotion

Consumer response to the hoax was immediate.

In a five-day period, 1 million clicked on YouTube and Journal content, underlining the rich vein Cadbury tapped into through the campaign. Even after the reveal, the overwhelming sentiment was positive.

The You Tube video had more than 465,000 views at nearly one minute per view, 75 percent retention and more than 8,000 spirited comments and exchanges, demonstrating a real connection with the quest. (“Meet you in Wicklow, lad!”) The activity sparked debates around gold discovery. (“It’s illegal to keep gold you’ve panned in Ireland … classed as property of the state.”) Exchanges also focused on figuring out the mystery of the video. Was it a cloaked commercial? Some even surmised Cadbury was behind it. It was all good fun.

Over 500,000 people watched the mock news item.

The campaign led to a combined value sales increase of 38% for Crunchie, DD, Wispa, Twirl brands in singles, winning +3.6pp of value share of singles versus the same period the previous year.