It can't be easy to always be the ultimate symbol of breaks for over 85 years. And yet, KitKat has been doing quite well for an octogenarian, keeping us company with tasty and crunchy chocolate for all these years. It was about time it took a little break, right?
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the brand, KitKat took a ten-days break in 2020 and turned to the people to design a user-generated temporary slogan, while our beloved chocolate bar snoozed in the background. The contest invited users across social media to have loads of fun while KitKat was away and it involved an 85-hour break to be awarded to the best slogan, with a complimentary hotel stay for two.
Curious to get Behind the Idea which led to such a creative social campaign, we got in touch with the team of creatives at Wunderman Thompson Brazil to ask them for a few facts. Here they come!
What was the brief?
KITKATs 85th anniversary presented us with a unique and momentous opportunity to do something that would drive fame to the brand and reinforce its iconic status. Not, one to pass up such an event the WT team proactively came up with a simple and clever idea to use the brands most famous property, it’s ever famous slogan, to reinforce KITKATs brand purpose and share the celebration with fans far and wide.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
As mentioned before, the idea was a proactive agency initiative presented to the client. The local WT Brazil team worked closely with the global WT team and the global KITKAT client to evolve the campaign to new heights. We continually finessed it together to drive engagement, meaning and the brands renowned humour through every interaction and touchpoint.
Tell us more about the concept. Why was it the right choice?
Have a Break, Have a KitKat is globally recognized. It’s simple, snappy and memorable nature is known and loved by all. This paired with the brands iconic wit, made it the perfect candidate for KITKAT fans far and wide to engage with. The concept was a fun and interactive way to invite people to play with the brand and celebrate its anniversary, all while harnessing and reigniting the spirit and humour of KITKAT.
What was the production process like? What was the biggest challenge?
When leveraging specific moments in time such as this, timings are always the biggest challenge. With a short window and a campaign born from a global endeavour, coordinating the deliverables across the various time zones became quite a difficult venture. Our teams in São Paulo, Seattle and London combined forces with our client team in Switzerland and become a nearly ‘almost on’ team - long live Whatsapp Groups!
What’s the main message of the campaign and why does it matter?
Have a Break, Have a Kit-Kat is one of the world’s longest running slogans. Giving it a well deserved break helps reinforce all that it stands for and enables it to return refreshed, reinvigorated and stronger for the next 85 years and more.
What is one unique aspect of the campaign?
Giving our slogan a break after 85 years is a real statement that now more than ever KITKAT is the brand that stands for breaks. The campaigns simple, participatory nature along with the context of KITKATS anniversary gave us a unique opportunity to reconnect the public with the brand and reignite its true purpose.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
It was a very agile process. Concept approval, production and execution were all delivered within a month.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
We hope that it brings the brand closer to consumers and reignites and refreshes its core purpose and positioning in a modern way. We hope in hand, that it rewards long term KITKAT fans with the unique opportunity to be a part of the brands history (iconic in both the confectionary and advertising industries) and bonds them in a special celebration.
