CadburySecret Santa

Cadbury needed to take their much-loved Secret Santa postal service online for Christmas 2020. We were tasked with designing and building a replica experience that mirrored the physical service as closely as possible, focusing on human connection and spreading Christmas spirit.

We knew that a chatbot wasn’t going to cut it. We needed to keep a real sense of people interacting, and of genuine kind hearted giving. So, we decided to move the entire experience into people’s homes — from a virtual queuing process complete with Christmas quizzes and jokes; to integrated in-browser video calls with real Cadbury Postal Service workers. Users could also send an anonymous message to the recipient using the AR Secret Santa mask we created, accessible via a QR code hidden within the parcel.

Using Microsoft Azure cloud hosting, we developed a microservice based cloud platform that could meet all peak traffic requirements as buzz built on social media - without the need for users to download an app or plug-in. The platform also managed all wait times, queues, CRM and fulfilment at all stages of the process, engaging consumers even when lines were full, and offering a seamless experience from start to finish.

Within 12 days, we were out of stock. Not only did we offer consumers an innovative way to connect, but Cadbury took their promise of Generosity further by partnering with the Trussell Trust for this postal service. Cadbury matched every bar secretly sent by consumers using our platform, and sent a second bar to the trust on your behalf.