In the pantheon of great British rivalries, few could have predicted that two chocolate sponge caterpillars would join the ranks of Oasis vs Blur, tea vs coffee, or the eternal debate over cream-first scones.
Yet here we are. Colin the Caterpillar from M&S and Cuthbert the Caterpillar from Aldi managed to divide the nation, dominate social media feeds and generate headlines across the UK. But while the legal wrangling grabbed attention, the real winner is social media itself.
Aldi has built a strong reputation for two things: finding creative ways to “borrow” branding inspiration and delivering fast, engaging social media content that consistently resonates with its audience. Both strengths came into play when M&S threatened legal action over Aldi’s caterpillar cake, which it claimed was too similar to its iconic Colin. Ordinarily, a trademark dispute wouldn’t set social media alight. What made this story different was Aldi’s response. Rather than retreating behind corporate statements, Aldi leaned into humour. Its now-famous #FreeCuthbert tweet generated more than 75,000 likes and instantly transformed a legal dispute into a national conversation.
It was a masterclass in audience understanding. Aldi recognised that consumers would find the situation amusing and that a light-hearted approach would encourage people to join the debate. The social media team turned a popular supermarket product into a viral talking point, proving that even a chocolate caterpillar can become a PR opportunity in the right hands.
Things escalated when Aldi called on fellow supermarkets to rally around Cuthbert. In a tweet that quickly gained traction, it declared: “Cecil, Wiggles, Curly, Clyde. We got you.” Suddenly, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda weren’t just spectators, they were now part of the conversation.This was a clever move. By bringing other retailers into the story, Aldi expanded the audience beyond its own customer base. Loyal shoppers from rival supermarkets suddenly found themselves defending their preferred caterpillar cake, turning a dispute between two brands into a supermarket-wide movement.
Of course, it was also a gamble. At the time, M&S appeared to be setting a precedent that could potentially have implications for other supermarket lookalikes. If public sentiment had swung the other way, Aldi could have found itself facing a significant PR headache. Instead, the strategy paid off. On 17 April, Aldi recorded a daily follower gain of almost 50,000 people. Since 15 April, the supermarket amassed 134,000 additional followers overall, representing a remarkable 30% increase.
But Aldi wasn’t the only beneficiary. At the height of Colin vs Cuthbert, reports suggested that finding a caterpillar cake anywhere in the UK became surprisingly difficult.
M&S largely stayed out of the social media frenzy, but when Aldi attempted to defuse the situation with a charitable proposal, it responded with some well-judged humour of its own. Aldi challenged M&S with the suggestion:“Let’s raise money for charity, not lawyers.” Rather than rejecting the idea outright, M&S countered with its own tongue-in-cheek proposal: #kevinthecarrotcake. It was a smart and carefully measured response. M&S avoided appearing pressured into abandoning its legal position while simultaneously demonstrating that it understood the tone of the conversation and was willing to join in the fun. By entertaining the prospect of a charity collaboration, it protected its reputation while earning positive coverage of its own. If there were PR professionals involved behind the scenes, they will no doubt have been quietly applauding.
So who really won? The legal outcome may determine who had the strongest intellectual property claim, but from a marketing perspective, both brands emerged in good shape. Aldi showcased its ability to create engagement, spark conversation and rapidly grow an audience. M&S demonstrated that it could defend its brand while still showing personality and humour. And both brands secured something marketers spend millions trying to achieve: widespread public attention, genuine engagement and national conversation. Not bad for a pair of chocolate caterpillars.
