Few brands own Easter like Cadbury. And few Easter ideas are as instantly recognizable as the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts—those adorable “audition” spots where pets (and other animals) wear bunny ears, attempt their best “cluck,” and steal the show. If you’ve searched for the Cadbury egg commercial, Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads, or the exact phrase Cadbury bunny tryout, you’re not alone: the campaign has become a modern seasonal ritual that blends nostalgia, internet culture, and a surprisingly sharp marketing engine.
This guide breaks down the Cadbury bunny Easter ads and the broader Cadbury bunny Easter campaign—including 4–5 standout ad moments, what made each one work, and how the brand keeps the idea fresh year after year. You’ll also get key market stats (including UK Easter “shrinkflation”), practical creative lessons, and 7 quick FAQs.
What Is the Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads?
The Cadbury bunny tryout idea is simple and brilliant: animals “audition” in bunny ears for a role in the iconic Easter spot. The humor is gentle, the format is instantly understandable, and the payoff is pure cuteness. In recent years, the campaign evolved into an official contest where pet owners submit entries, finalists are revealed, and a winner earns a starring role and prize money.
Cadbury USA hosts official contest info and recaps through its Cadbury Tryouts page.
What makes these Cadbury Easter bunny tryouts feel bigger than a typical seasonal ad is the structure: the audience doesn’t just watch—they participate. You get a built-in content loop (entries → brackets → voting → winner reveal → commercial), plus a growing archive of past winners via the Cadbury Bunny Hall of Fame.
If you’re benchmarking seasonal creativity across categories, this campaign sits comfortably alongside other best Easter ads because it’s a repeatable format that still feels fresh.
Key Easter Market Stats (And Why They Matter for Cadbury)
with a feel-good story—so the brand stays top-of-mind even when value perception is under pressure.
Why the Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads Work (As a System)
The best seasonal campaigns don’t rely on one viral moment—they rely on a repeatable engine. The Cadbury Easter bunny commercials succeed because they stack multiple growth mechanics: nostalgia, participation, social proof, and a simple creative template that anyone understands in one second.
- Instant hook: animals in bunny ears + “audition” setup = immediate attention.
- Participation loop: entries and voting create built-in user-generated content.
- Rewatch value: short, funny moments reward replays (and shares).
- Brand linkage: the “cluck + Creme Egg” association is unmistakable.
- Seasonal consistency: repeats every year, so it becomes part of Easter culture.
There’s also a subtle emotional layer: the campaign celebrates “unexpected winners” (a frog, a cat, a raccoon rescue).
That inclusive energy is why it resonates beyond candy—it taps into the same human truth you’ll see in values-led categories like women empowerment ads, where the brand story is ultimately about being seen, included, and celebrated.
And yes—this matters commercially. When category costs rise, brands need stronger “reasons to choose” that are not only discount-based.
Bunny Tryouts acts like a brand moat: it defends memory and affection, so Cadbury can stay premium in a noisy Easter aisle.
5 Best Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads (And What Each One Teaches)
Below are 5 ad moments that define the modern Cadbury bunny Easter ads playbook.
If you’re studying seasonal campaign design, treat these as templates—not just cute commercials.
Ad #1: The classic “Clucking Bunny” audition format (the evergreen template)
The original concept—animals auditioning with bunny ears—created a universal Easter shorthand.
Even when execution details change, the core structure stays intact: setup (audition), twist (wrong animal), payoff (cute “cluck”).
This is why people still search for the Cadbury egg commercial year after year.
- Repeatable: you can produce variations forever.
- Fast comprehension: viewers “get it” instantly.
- Brand lock-in: the format is strongly associated with Cadbury.
Ad #2: 2019 “Bunny Tryouts” reboot — letting real pets audition
In 2019, Cadbury (via Hershey in the U.S.) formalized the idea into a public contest: pet owners submitted photos, finalists moved forward,
and a winner starred in the updated spot. That’s when “Cadbury bunny tryout” turned into a repeatable, community-driven engine. This move modernized the campaign without losing the original charm.
The lesson here is powerful: instead of inventing a new creative direction every year, Cadbury upgraded the mechanism—from a one-way ad to a participatory event.
That’s exactly how top seasonal campaigns stay relevant.
Ad #3: 2021 winner “Betty the Frog” — the unexpected spokesbunny
A frog winning “Cadbury Bunny” status is the perfect brand-friendly surprise. It signals that the campaign is not just “cute pets,”
it’s a celebration of unexpected joy. The result: more shares, more earned media, and a stronger reason for people to follow along next year.
- Subvert expectations while keeping the brand safe and wholesome.
- Make the audience feel smart for participating—“we found the most surprising winner.”
- Build tradition by adding each winner to a recognizable legacy.
Ad #4: 2023 “Rescue Pets Edition” — Crash the Cat wins
In 2023, the campaign leaned into rescue pet storytelling with a “Rescue Pets Edition,” culminating in Crash the Cat being crowned the winner.
This is a smart seasonal move: it adds emotional depth without becoming heavy, and it opens the door to partnerships, PR, and community goodwill.
Creatively, it also gives you more angles: “every pet deserves a spotlight,” “from rescue to superstar,” “this Easter, cheer for the underdog.”
Those are story hooks that can extend across social content, email, and landing pages—not just a single spot.
Ad #5: 2024 bracket-style voting — Louie the raccoon (a social-native twist)
In 2024, the Tryouts used a bracket-style tournament that encouraged fans to vote through rounds—turning the campaign into a social game.
Louie the raccoon won, and the announcement positioned him for a starring role in the following year’s commercial.
This format is ideal for modern attention: it creates episodic content and gives people a reason to come back repeatedly.
- More touchpoints: each round is a new reason to engage.
- Built-in share triggers: fans rally others to vote for “their” pet.
- Easy repurposing: round recaps become Reels, Stories, and email blocks.
If you’re building your own seasonal content calendar, note how Cadbury spreads attention across weeks. That’s the same creative principle used in other “moment” campaigns, including Women’s day creative ads: one day on the calendar, but multiple story beats leading up to it.
Creative Lessons You Can Steal from Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads
You don’t need Cadbury’s budget to apply Cadbury’s thinking. The core strategy is to design a seasonal campaign as a connected system:
one repeatable template, multiple content drops, and a participation loop that generates its own momentum.
1) Build one recognizable “format” and protect it
Bunny ears + auditions is the format. The details change—winners change, channels change, voting mechanics change—but the format stays stable.
That’s how you earn mental availability: audiences remember you without effort.
2) Let people participate (and feel proud of it)
The Tryouts are essentially a creator program—except the creators are pet owners. The key is recognition:
finalists get featured, winners get celebrated, and the Hall of Fame builds long-term payoff. Participation feels meaningful, not transactional.
3) Pair “cute” with a real reason to choose the product
Don’t miss the commercial discipline: the campaign never forgets what it’s selling. The “cluck” is a mnemonic device that ties back to Creme Eggs.
This is especially important when shoppers are price-sensitive; the ad must strengthen brand preference, not just entertain.
4) Seasonal gifting works better when it’s segmented
Easter shopping includes self-treats, kid baskets, office gifts, and “small delight” add-ons. If you’re marketing a giftable product, consider landing pages that segment by recipient or budget. This segmentation logic shows up in other seasonal categories too, like Women’s day jewellery ads, where the best creatives make it easy to pick the “right” gift quickly.
5) Add values without becoming preachy
“Rescue Pets Edition” is a great example of values-led storytelling that still feels light. The trick is to keep the tone joyful while building real meaning.
That balance is also why values-focused themes (like celebration and inclusion) perform in broader cultural moments.
FAQs: Cadbury Bunny Easter Ads
What is the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts campaign?
Why do people love Cadbury Easter bunny commercials?
What does “Cadbury bunny tryout” mean?
Are the Tryouts only for bunnies?
How does Cadbury keep the campaign interesting each year?
What’s the marketing takeaway for smaller brands?
Where can I see more seasonal ad inspiration?
Conclusion
The genius of the Cadbury bunny Easter campaign is that it’s not just “a commercial”—it’s a repeatable system. Cadbury kept the same lovable template (auditions + bunny ears + cluck) and modernized everything around it: audience participation, winner reveals, and social-native formats.
In a market where Easter spending is big—but price pressure is real—this is exactly how a brand protects preference: by owning a cultural moment so reliably that
people actively look for the ad every year.
