Meet the Agency That’s Hiding Cadbury Eggs in Other Brands’ Ads

Elvis is responsible for the nationwide Easter egg hunt

February 4, 2019

(From left., clockwise) Tanya Brookfield, CEO; Emma Gardner, managing partner, operations; Neale Horrigan, managing partner, creative; Caroline Davison, managing partner, clients; David Yates, managing partner, strategy

Daniel Malheiro

By Ronan Shields

February 4, 2019

With just 60 on staff, Elvis certainly isn’t the largest operation in the industry in terms of size, but the shop maintains that what it lacks in headcount, it makes up for in agility—and the ability of its creatives to deliver on big ideas.

Headquartered in London, Elvis counts a host of notable international brands among its client roster, including Budweiser, Corona and Honda. But its current campaign for Mondelez-owned Cadbury is what’s currently making waves on both sides of the Atlantic. In what it dubs a nationwide Easter egg hunt, Elvis convinced the British chocolatier to hide its Cadbury Creme Eggs in other brands’ print, outdoor and TV ads across the U.K. during the months leading up to Easter.

It’s this kind of bold thinking that has led to some of the shop’s unorthodox success stories, according to CEO Tanya Brookfield, who remarks that “too many agencies create expected and forgettable work.”

“We’re a smallish agency with huge global clients, and there’s a reason for that,” she added. “Maybe it’s time the U.S. market stopped worrying about size and started worrying about passion, effectiveness, smarts and craft.”