Cadbury Achieves 71% Ad Recall with On-Campus Advertising Screens
- RockBox
- Mar 27
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 28
How do you measure the impact of a branding campaign for one of the UK’s most iconic brands? That was the challenge Cadbury and RockBox Advertising set out to solve during their February 2025 “Made to Share” campaign.
Real-Time Feedback Through Interactive Surveys
To gauge the campaign’s effectiveness, we integrated a survey into the digital screen playout loop. QR codes displayed on screens encouraged students to take part in a short mobile survey, providing real-time insights into engagement, recall, and purchase intent.
We asked a range of campaign and chocolate related questions over a 10-day period mid-campaign, 131 students participated. The results were compelling:
✅ 71% Ad Recall Rate – A significant majority of students remembered seeing the Cadbury Dairy Milk advert on campus.
✅ Increased Purchase Intent – More than 80% said the ad made them more likely to purchase Cadbury Dairy Milk.
✅ Strong Chocolate Buying Habits – Most students reported buying chocolate at least once a week.
✅ Brand Loyalty – Cadbury remains the most frequently purchased chocolate brand among university students.
✅ Flavour Curiosity – Many expressed interest in trying new Dairy Milk flavours, highlighting opportunities for innovation.
The creative was designed to capture attention, influence purchasing behaviour, and reinforce brand preference among university students. The results speak for themselves.
The Campaign at a Glance
The campaign ran for six weeks, targeting high-footfall areas on campus, using 175 digital advertising screens.
🕺🏻Total Footfall: 6,583,133
👁️Total Advertising Impacts: 82,803,360
📅Campaign Duration: 6 weeks
🏫Locations: 46 university campuses
📺Screens Used: 175 Portrait digital displays
Why On-Campus Advertising Works
University students represent a highly engaged, digitally connected audience that responds well to visually impactful advertising. RockBox’s on-campus digital screens provide brands with a unique opportunity to:
🎯Achieve High Visibility: Placed in common areas such as student unions, libraries, and food courts.
🎯Encourage Immediate Engagement: Interactive QR code surveys generate real-time insights.
🎯Drive Brand Recognition and Loyalty: Repeated exposure reinforces product awareness and purchase intent.
🎯Capture a Key Consumer Group: Students regularly consume chocolate as an affordable indulgence, making them a prime audience for confectionery brands.
Campus of Digital Advertising for FMCG Brands
Cadbury’s success with RockBox Advertising proves that on-campus digital screen advertising is an effective way to connect with young consumers. With strong recall rates, increased purchase intent, and valuable behavioural insights, brands looking to target university students should consider digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising as a vital part of their media strategy.
👋🏻Want to see similar results for your brand? Want to know what chocolate brands students buy the most?
Get in touch with RockBox Advertising today!
