Worldwide Hide
- Brand
- Cadbury
- Year
- 2022
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Adventure & Quest
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- VCCP
Objective
Cadbury wanted to turn Easter's seasonal chocolate spike into a shared act of generosity, giving people separated by distance a way to connect around the ritual of an egg hunt. The 2021 launch answered a locked-down Easter when families couldn't be together; the 2022 edition scaled the idea into new markets and tied it to Manchester United to pull in a football audience.
Solution
The player opens a free web page and picks a spot on the map that means something to them and someone else — a first date, their old university, a place from a trip together. Dropping into Google Street View at that exact location, they place a giant virtual egg, write a personal clue of whatever difficulty they like, and send it by link or email. The recipient gets the clue and has to find the same spot on the map themselves, guided by a distance counter and optional hints as they narrow it down; finding the hidden egg triggers a congratulations screen. Players could also skip the virtual hunt and instead buy a real limited-edition Cadbury egg for the platform to ship straight to the other person, and in 2022 fans could do the same on a Manchester United-branded version of the site with a free club-themed egg to hide.
Results
The debut 2021 edition drew 2.26 million site visits, averaging almost five minutes per visit, with 809,000 virtual eggs hidden; 14,500 real Cadbury Easter eggs were bought through the platform, selling out a week before Easter Sunday. VCCP cited roughly 800,000 virtual eggs hidden in year one when announcing the 2022 relaunch.
- 1
Players land on the Cadbury Worldwide Hide site and choose one of two paths: hide a free virtual egg, or buy a real limited-edition Cadbury Easter egg (including Manchester United co-branded designs) that will ship to whoever finds it.
- 2
To pick a hiding spot, the player searches Google Maps by country, city, town, or village, with an "Inspire Me" button for anyone unsure where to start; the game encourages picking a location with personal meaning, like a first date or a shared trip.
- 3
The chosen location drops the player into Google Street View, where they position a giant purple three-foot Cadbury egg directly onto the street panorama.
- 4
The player writes a freeform clue describing the hiding spot, choosing how cryptic to make it.
- 5
The player sends the clue to a recipient by email or contact details, or generates a shareable link.
- 6
The recipient reads the clue and searches the same map and Street View, using a distance meter and optional hints to narrow in on the hidden egg.
- 7
Reaching the exact panorama spot triggers a congratulatory confirmation screen marking the egg as found.
- 8
If the egg was hidden via the paid route, a real Cadbury chocolate egg is shipped to the finder's home after it's found.
- 9
An offline tie-in placed giant purple Cadbury eggs outside Old Trafford in Manchester and at Butler's Wharf in London, marked with hashtags and QR codes directing passersby to the platform.
