Remember Cadbury's Milk Tray

The Milk Tray brand was first developed in 1915 and is one of Cadbury’s most recognised products. The box of assorted cream-filled chocolates is, according to Cadbury’s marketing, 'within reach of everyone … for every day not just special occasions’. Like Cadbury’s Roses chocolates, the Milk Tray brand aligns itself with relationships. This is one of two advertisements that are about building romance between fledgling couples. It is not until the 1970s that Cadbury’s ads feature a woman who is not attached to a man (see Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate – 'For All the Different Women You Are’).

These advertisements probably date from the early days of television in the mid-to-late 1950s and reflect the social conventions of the time in relation to dating, romance and marriage. The ads focus on the characters’ hands to tell the story. In this ad, for instance, there is only a brief glimpse of the woman’s face in profile, and we only see the back of the man’s head.

These advertisements are more reserved than the Cadbury’s ads of later years which begin to focus attention on the mouth – most commonly the woman’s mouth – and introduce into the equation the visual language of desire. Rather than feature catchy jingles, the ads are linked by the same simple, music box-style melody that evokes the innocence of first love.

Notes by Poppy De Souza