RPM adds Eggsplorer dimension to Cadbury’s Easter Egg Trails

Cadbury has commissioned marketing communications agency, RPM, to enhance cohesion across the brand’s annual Easter Egg Trails campaign that takes place in partnership with the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland. This year’s campaign involves trails at over 300 National Trust and National Trust for Scotland properties, with the activity reaching its peak over Easter weekend (18 – 21 April).

Although the campaign is in its seventh year, 2014 marks RPM’s inaugural brief for the Cadbury Easter Egg Trails. As each of the hosting properties is unique, RPM’s primary brief was to identify a solution that created consistency across them all to enhance brand cut-through. In response, RPM devised the idea of incorporating a unifying theme across all touch points, with participating children being turned into ‘Eggsplorers’ through the use of Cadbury-branded pith hats, passports and trail journals. As lead agency for the integrated campaign, RPM has taken responsibility for all experiential and digital activity, with PHD overseeing media and GolinHarris taking care of PR.

RPM’s response to the brief included developing an app to turn family photos of trail experiences into personalised socially-sharable content in the form of an Eggsplorer scrap book. RPM has additionally devised and delivered all creative collateral, branded and themed dressing at start and end points of the trails, redesigning the website and adding an Eggsplorer-themed spin to the campaign’s online activity pack, trail pack and competitions. To generate pre-trail awareness, RPM executed bursts of shopper activity across Morrisons stores. This entailed brand ambassador teams encouraging shoppers to buy from the Cadbury Easter range in return for an Easter Eggsplorer activity map and entry to a competition where consumers could win National Trust or National Trust for Scotland property entry passes. Trail participants are asked to either pay a small fee or make a donation to take part in a trail, with all money going back to the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland properties themselves. RPM has accordingly devised a trail ‘voting board’ where consumers will be able to ‘vote how their money is spent’ at the end of a trail by placing a sticker against three options.

Iwona Zbierska, Cadbury’s senior brand manager Easter said: “By devising an engaging theme that can be applied to all touch points, RPM’s input into our 2014 trail campaign will boost brand cut-through whilst helping us facilitate magical family moments at trails up and down the country. Cadbury’s annual Easter Egg Trails nurture a real feel good factor that Cadbury, and in turn consumers, are helping the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland while experiencing the joy of our Easter Egg Trails. The campaign also reinforces Cadbury’s position as the leader of Easter treats and delivers a positive effect for the whole brand.”

RPM’s MD, Dom Robertson, said: “By giving this year’s trail a theme that works for all partners, we have helped Cadbury generate more cut-through than in previous years. The campaign has also given us a great opportunity to lead digital strategy by devising a family-friendly app that will drive a significant level of social sharing.”