Cadbury Dairy Milk's next phase of 'heart the hate' campaign urges bystanders to stand up against cyberbullying by sharing a Purple Heart

• Cadbury Dairy Milk urges Gen Z to take a stand against cyberbullying, One ‘Purple Heart’ at a time.
• More than 1 in 2 victims felt that they weren’t supported by their friends when they were bullied in the cyberspace.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has rolled out the next phase of the #HeartTheHate Campaign. Initiated in 2019, the campaign confronts the issue of cyber-bullying and encourages its audiences to express generosity, an act close to the brand’s narrative.

Commenting on the launch of the second edition of the campaign, Anil Viswanathan, Senior Director – Marketing, Mondelez India, said, “Cadbury Dairy Milk as a brand, believes that a little bit of generosity can go a long way and often it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Cyber-bullying is something which affects everyone especially today’s youngsters. Apart from the direct impact of bullying, the apathy of the silent bystander impacts the victims in a big way. While we were pleased to see the impact created online through #HeartTheHate which leveraged this insight, in 2019 we knew there was a lot of work still left to do. Through the next phase of the campaign, we hope to further reiterate Purple Heart as an emoticon that helps express solidarity with the bullied. This campaign leverages technology in a smart way to make consumers understand how breaking their silence and standing up for the victims can make a huge difference in their lives.”

The second edition of the campaign roots from the insights drawn from a recent poll conducted by Cadbury Dairy Milk in partnership with Inshorts. Out of the total 1.7L participants, 42% of them said they were cyberbullied and 55% said they weren’t supported by friends when cyberbullied.

The campaign through its digital films builds a strong case for the need to speak up when witnessing cyberbullying. The videos show the victims in a vulnerable state after being subjected to bullying and the viewer is nudged to take a stand and support the victim by clicking on a link on the video. Basis the action or inaction of the viewer, multiple sequences of instances are generated from the victims’ life. If the viewer clicks the link to post a Purple Heart for the victim, they are shown how relieved the victim feels in real time. However, if the viewer ignores the message or skips the pre-roll ad, they are targeted by another ad which shows the victim becoming even more affected from the bullying. This algorithm has been adapted to other social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and audio platforms like Saavn, Spotify helping break the fourth wall and interact with viewers by making them a real time bystander to bullying.

Commenting on the campaign, Neville Shah, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy India, said “The idea makes you see the effect of cyberbullying. Something we as silent bystanders, ignore. Because while the bullying or trolling maybe just words online, they have an impact in the real world. We shouldn’t ignore it. And we shouldn’t ask the victims to ignore it. So, a little push, a gentle nudge, a soft reminder to ask us bystanders to stand up and simply share a Purple Heart. Make the person smile. Let them know it’s NOT just trolls out there”

The campaign is supported through multiple integrated marketing elements including influencer outreach. Additionally, Cadbury Dairy Milk has also partnered with a leading cyber psychologist to lead workshops with 20 campuses in the country. The key focus of the campus engagements would be creating awareness and highlighting the various tools available for youngsters to handle bullying in the cyber space.