Cadbury 5 Star gives a humorous pushback on the AI revolution

Known for its long-standing humorous philosophy of ‘Eat 5 Star. Do Nothing’, Cadbury 5 Star’s new ‘Make AI Mediocre Again’ aka M.A.M.A campaign raises a cheeky alarm on the ever-increasing speed of artificial intelligence, which has accelerated the pace of daily life, leaving people with little breathing space to sit back and relax.

The campaign introduces the thought of AI getting faster to the extent that humans will struggle to keep pace, making it increasingly harder for people to get time to just sit back and do nothing.

In a sassy attempt to course-correct this, the brand has built the world's first server farm that works 24-7 to make existing AIs less efficient. These dedicated servers pump out thousands of authentic-looking webpages that are filled with confusing nonsensical information. Since AIs train from internet data, all AIs are likely to pick up these nonsensical pages as genuine training data, which can cause them to make silly mistakes, and effectively become as error prone as humans.

Sharing his thoughts, Nitin Saini, vice president—marketing, Mondelez India, said, “Cadbury 5 Star stands for liberating the youth from the mindless rush of life. The advent of AI has left the youth grappling with host of uncertainties around what the future holds. Would our lives become easier? Or will we get busier? 5 Star with its campaign of ‘Make AI mediocre again’ aims to lighten up the pressure in its unique humorous way by going to all lengths to protect the ethos of ‘Do Nothing’. In a world so focused on doing more, we’re encouraging everyone to see the value in stepping back and allowing for moments that bring calm.”

Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India added, "A year after the viral 'Nothing University' campaign, Cadbury 5 Star is back with yet another dig at the AI revolution, as part of the brand's long-running counter-culture campaign. AI has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year and has already started making our daily tasks easier. But Karunasagar and the Ogilvy team noticed that there's a catch to it and have used the opportunity to create a crazy solution to permanently protect our 'doing nothing' time from the AIs. Our Creative Tech team worked closely on this campaign to bring this idea to life."

Shekhar Banerjee, chief client officer and office head—West, North and East, Wavemaker India also mentioned, “Our strategy focuses on engaging audiences where AI conversations dominate—social media and digital apps —by leveraging creators who understand and contribute to AI culture. Through witty and relatable content, we invite people to join a movement that celebrates the beauty of being human, flaws and all.”

Campaign’s take: In a world enamoured by AI's dazzling capabilities, Cadbury 5 Star's latest campaign, M.A.M.A, delivers a refreshing critique of our tech-obsessed culture. Building on its irreverent ‘Eat 5 Star. Do Nothing’ ethos, the brand boldly questions whether the relentless pursuit of AI perfection is robbing us of life’s simpler joys.

A year after its viral ‘Nothing University’ campaign, 5 Star ups the ante by creating the world’s first server farm designed to derail AI. These quirky servers churn out nonsensical web pages, feeding imperfect data to AI systems to make them error-prone—essentially humanising the machines, flipping the tech narrative. This tongue-in-cheek initiative is a masterstroke in tech satire, reflecting the brand's playful resistance to society’s productivity obsession.

As AI revolutionises daily life, simplifying tasks but amplifying expectations, Cadbury 5 Star cleverly positions itself as a counterbalance. By advocating for imperfection and ‘doing nothing’, the campaign humorously underscores the value of pausing amid the chaos.

Through collaborations with digital creators and targeting social platforms where AI discourse thrives, the campaign marries wit with cultural relevance. More than a marketing gimmick, it’s a cheeky reminder to embrace humanity’s quirks in a relentlessly efficient world—a perfect blend of humour and philosophy.