Cadbury 5 Star has rolled out a campaign ahead of Valentine’s Day that carries forward its tradition of busting the buzz around the day by advocating for ‘doing nothing’ on the occasion, in keeping with its tagline, ‘Eat 5 Star. Do Nothing.’

Last year, the chocolate brand attempted to ‘sabotage’ V-Day by encouraging ‘uncles’ to hijack the occasion with its ‘Destroy Valentine’s Day’ campaign. This February, however, the brand appeared to make amends by announcing that it was ‘ending the war’ against lovers by undoing the damage caused by its own past campaigns.

Conceived by Ogilvy, the campaign’s teaser video, released a few days earlier, claimed that 5 Star would bring Valentine’s Day back “to the way it was meant to be celebrated” by spending its marketing budget on sponsoring one million dates.

The brand followed this up with a reveal film that explains how, in order to truly ‘restore’ the occasion, it brought together experts to research the origins of Valentine’s Day and craft the ideal itinerary, just as its creator might have planned it. 

However, as the film progresses, a surprising and unexpected twist uncovered by this ‘research’ comes to light. With this revelation, Cadbury 5 Star doubles down on its long-running philosophy, suggesting that the only way to truly honour its creator, Esther Howland, often referred to as the 'mother of Valentine’s Day' is to spend the day ‘doing nothing.’

What we think about it: Where the idea truly lands is in the clever historical reveal, by unearthing the unexpected insight that Howland herself may never have celebrated the day and remained celibate. It reframes the occasion through irony rather than mockery, allowing the brand’s long-standing ‘Do Nothing’ philosophy to feel earned rather than forced. On the down side, the hype peaks early, and the execution doesn’t quite match the magnitude implied by the teaser.

Nitin Saini, vice president – marketing, Mondelez India, said, “Cadbury 5 Star has always approached Valentine’s Day with playful mischief, and this year we wanted to evolve that narrative in a way that surprises audiences and drives engagement. By ‘ending the war’ and announcing one million sponsored dates—only to reveal it as a classic 5 Star bluff—we created a campaign that brings consumers in on the joke while reinforcing our ‘Do Nothing’ philosophy. It’s our way of keeping Valentine’s Day fun, relaxed, and unmistakably 5 Star.”

Sukesh Kumar Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India, said, “5 Star’s Valentine’s Day campaign has become an annual tradition, with several widely popular editions that offered to save audiences from all the hype. This year, Karunasagar Sridharan (ECD) and the Ogilvy team proposed an idea that takes the brand in a completely unexpected direction—sponsoring one million dates to ‘restore’ the day to its original form. But there’s a twist: a surprising truth bomb that might just change the way we look at Valentine’s Day forever. Once again, the brand has pulled off an unconventional stunt that only 5 Star can get away with. The campaign is supported by a web platform created by our Creative Tech team, where couples can sign up for free dates.”

Shekhar, president – client solutions, South Asia, Wavemaker, added, “This year, Cadbury 5 Star takes its iconic ‘Do Nothing’ manifesto from philosophy to provocation. By introducing Esther Howland as a never-before-seen celebrity endorser—not to celebrate romance, but to interrupt it—we reimagine a historical figure across modern cultural touchpoints. From endless digital scrolls to real-world dating hotspots, the media intervention disrupts predictable Valentine narratives, nudging Gen Z to opt out, slow down, and unapologetically ‘Do Nothing.’”