After 50 years as Nestle's flagship chocolate bar brand here in Canada, KitKat was in trouble. It had dropped to #8 in the market and was in need of revitalization.
The challenge was to contemporize KitKat's "Have A Break" branding idea in a way that could be used to appeal both to adults for KitKat Original and to teens for the launch of KitKat Chunky. The new twist that we developed was to feature people who really didn't deserve a break enjoying KitKat and to play off of the notion that "if they deserve a break with KitKat then you certainly do." The first spot in this new campaign was for KitKat Original and featured Dylan, the supermodel. We have also done spots featuring young slackers and, most recently, spoiled socialites.
The new campaign has been a tremendous success. It has re-ignited sales of KitKat Original and successfully launched KitKat Chunky delivering double-digit growth in a flat category. It has won a two Cassie's and a silver Lion at Cannes. At this point KitKat's main competition comes from Nestle's other brands - Aero, Smarties, Coffee Crisp - thanks in part to the work we have done for them. Currently they all rank in the top five in the category. KitKat is number #1.
