Between 18 March 2020 to 31 December 2021, Malaysia went through a series of strict lockdowns which saw all non-essential businesses shut down, and citizens confined to a 10km radius of their homes.

As a result, thousands of families were left without work, money, or food. As Covid-19 and hunger spread, white flags started appearing across the country. The flags — sometimes little more than T-shirts or strips of cloth — were a cry for help from low-income families who were financially affected by the long coronavirus pandemic.

As a brand that stands for generosity, Cadbury had to step up to find a solution to help.

As white flags became a symbol for those who needed help, we created flags in Cadbury Dairy Milk’s iconic shade of purple for those who wanted to help.

We gave them away on-ground and in supermarkets, so people who would like to help could fly a purple flag to signify they had extra food and supplies to give.

For those without a physical flag, they could also pin their location with a virtual purple flag on our website.

Donations were then collected from the households with purple flags, and passed on to needy families with white flags.

Through the use of a simple purple flag, we managed to rally people during a lockdown to distribute essentials from those who wanted to help, to the people who needed it.

We knew that our brand belief was true: that there is generosity and kindness in everyone. So we went ahead with an ambitious strategy: to rely on people’s generosity and the community to get the word out.

Without paid media support, we leveraged on our on-ground network of convenience stores, supermarkets, and mom-and-pop shops in affluent areas to distribute the purple flags.

Point-of-sale materials let people know that they could fly purple flags outside their homes if they had extra food and supplies to donate.

Press kits were also sent to journalists to invite them to cover the story.

We distributed purple flags through our on-ground partners: in supermarkets, convenience stores, and mom-and-pop shops in affluent areas. Point-of-sale materials let people know that they could fly purple flags outside their homes if they had extra food and supplies to donate.

For those unable to get their hands on a physical purple flag, they could also visit a website and pin a virtual flag by entering their address.

Donations were then collected from the households with purple flags, and passed on to needy families with white flags.

By simply creating a flag in our brand colours, we were able to activate and rally people during a lockdown — delivering essential aid in the most efficient way.

The campaign made Malaysians show their true colours. With zero media spending, we reached over 260 million people. Thousands flew the purple flag and came forward to help, with over 600% increase in donations. 2,078 families flying the white flag received aid.