Diwali without ‘Kuch Meetha’? Cadbury tries ‘Kuch Naya’ with crackers and fusions

New Delhi: If you’ve walked through India’s festive lanes this October, something feels a little off. The lights are brighter, mithai boxes shinier, and influencers busier, yet there’s an invisible void in the air. The kind of void that hums between firecracker pops and WhatsApp greetings. The kind of void that usually went, “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye.”

This year, for the first time since 2004, Cadbury’s iconic festive tagline, once as synonymous with Diwali as diyas and discounts, takes a different route with “Kuch Naya Ho Jaaye.”

The shelves are packed with limited-edition Cadbury Celebrations Crackers and Cadbury Celebrations Fusions, an innovation-led range blending traditional Indian flavours like Rabdi, Son Papdi, and Kesar Badam into chocolate form.

But that unmistakable line, “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye,” has taken a new twist with “Kuch Naya Ho Jaaye” making room for something new.

The line that changed how India gifted

Back in 2004, when Cadbury first introduced “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye,” the idea was audacious for its time. Indians didn’t think of chocolate as “festival food.” Sweets meant laddoos, kaju katli, and soan papdi, not Dairy Milk. 

But the brand, along with Ogilvy, cracked a cultural insight: India doesn’t need an occasion to have something sweet, the act of sweetness itself is the occasion.

From Amitabh Bachchan’s charming “Pappu pass ho gaya” ad to small-town cricket wins and college goodbyes, “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye” became shorthand for everyday joy. 

The line carried not just the warmth of chocolate but the cultural rhythm of celebration. It was more than advertising; it became a habit, a post-script to good news, a national nudge toward small indulgences.

By 2018, the line evolved to “Kuch Achha Ho Jaaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye,” a subtle yet telling shift. 

The new version turned the lens from self to society. Cadbury wasn’t just about celebrating your moments; it was about spreading sweetness outward - helping strangers, appreciating differences, and choosing kindness.

The campaigns that followed deepened this idea. There was the 2020 AI-led “Not Just a Cadbury Ad,” which geotagged over 1,800 local stores into the film, and its 2021 sequel featuring Shah Rukh Khan as a “brand ambassador for local businesses.” 

Then came 2022’s #ShopsForShopless, giving virtual visibility to hawkers, and 2023’s #ThisAdIsMyStore, spotlighting homepreneurs and small women-led ventures.

For nearly two decades, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye wasn’t just Cadbury’s tagline, it was its moral compass.

A more focused festive season from the house of sweetness

Fast-forward to 2025, and something’s changed. With Diwali slated for October 20-21, the festive advertising buzz is in full swing. Yet Cadbury’s campaign this year feels more innovation-led.

There’s less emphasis on a singular creative film, and more on product storytelling, through the new Crackers and Fusions packs that mimic the excitement of fireworks and the nostalgia of mithai.

“Diwali is always a special occasion for us at Mondelez India, as it brings alive the true essence of Cadbury Celebrations. This year, we’re deepening that connection with consumers through two new innovations inspired by India’s festive spirit,” said Nitin Saini, Vice President, Marketing, Mondelez India, in a recent statement.

What’s next for Cadbury’s Diwali playbook?

The brand’s recent focus on innovation, from mithai-fusion chocolates to festive-themed packaging, suggests a possible product-first pivot. 

Mondelez’s global strategy has been leaning towards premiumisation and gifting experiences, and the new packs could be a testbed for that.

However, given the brand’s deep emotional equity in India, a total retreat from storytelling feels unlikely. 

More plausibly, a refreshed interpretation of “sweetness” may soon emerge, one that fits the AI, e-commerce, and influencer era, perhaps even reimagining “sweetness” as digital generosity or modern expressions of kindness.