# Free Cuthbert

> Aldi’s #FreeCuthbert campaign claimed Facebook reach above 35 million.

- Owner: Aldi UK; McCann Manchester (agency)
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Retail
- Seed date: 2021-04-15
- Milestone date: Week of Apr 20, 2021
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Some dates are known only to the week, month or year.
- Spread Score: 40 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Response chain, Brand pile-on, Controversy, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

Aldi answered the cake claim with #FreeCuthbert. Public replies and rival brands supplied jokes that news outlets covered, followed by a charity relaunch. The retailers later settled confidentially and Aldi advertised Cuthbert’s return.

## Timeline

- 2021-04-15 — Marks & Spencer (Press) — M&S announced a High Court claim over similarities between Colin and Cuthbert.
- 2021-04-15 — Aldi UK (X) — Aldi posted a parody of the M&S slogan and introduced #FreeCuthbert.
- 2021-04-16 — Monzo / BrewDog / Ann Summers (X) — Monzo joked about a fund, BrewDog proposed an ale and Ann Summers offered handcuffs.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/mcp#api).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/free-cuthbert

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Free Cuthbert.” Case HIS-01706. Spread Score v1.3: 40/100. Updated 2026-10-26. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01706