When Cadbury launched its latest limited-edition chocolate bar, Twirl Caramel, we knew it would cause a frenzy. Fans had already gone wild for Twirl Orange, and early testing showed Twirl Caramel was just as irresistible. But with limited stock, there wouldn’t be enough for everyone. Instead of fueling the hype, we decided to control it—by making the ads just as elusive as the chocolate itself.

Hiding the Ads to Control the Hype

Rather than shouting about Twirl Caramel, we hid our ads in the most obscure places imaginable:

• A church notice board

• A remote island with a population of 2

• The UK’s least-used train station

• A miniature house in a model village

No fanfare, no announcements—we simply waited for eagle-eyed chocolate lovers to find them. After three weeks, a few lucky fans spotted the ads and started tweeting, earning themselves a free Twirl Caramel for their sharp eyes.

The Nationwide Ad Hunt Begins

Once the first ads were discovered, the real hunt kicked off. We teased the launch of Twirl Caramel on Twitter, letting fans know that only a few ads were hidden across the country and online. To make it even harder, we partially obscured billboards in London, Liverpool, and Birmingham with white vans—so only superfans knew where to look.

For those who needed an extra nudge, we dropped cryptic clues on social media. Fans who successfully found an ad could tap, scan a QR code, or retweet a hidden tweet to claim a free bar via an auto-response.

The First-Ever Interactive Ad Spotting Livestream

To give everyone a final shot at getting their hands on Twirl Caramel, we launched the first-ever interactive ad-spotting livestream on Twitter. Fans had to tweet @CadburyUK + #ControlTheHype whenever they spotted an ad in the stream.

8,000 bars were claimed within hours.

Then, just as mysteriously as they appeared, the ads disappeared again.

A Campaign That Made Hype by Controlling It

By turning the limited availability of Twirl Caramel into an interactive hunt, we didn’t just control the hype—we amplified it in the most playful way possible.