Dive Brief:
- KitKat has launched an international campaign inviting fans to create a new slogan for the iconic snack, according to a press release emailed to Marketing Dive. The campaign comes as the brand celebrates its 85th anniversary.
- The brand will use #ABreakForHaveABreak across its social media channels and search for the best alternative to the candy brand's slogan. Wunderman Thompson, the firm behind the campaign, also made an online slogan generator powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to help participants create slogan alternatives.
- To give consumers a "break" during pandemic-related stresses, the creator of the best temporary slogan will receive an 85-hour stay for two at a luxury hotel. The winner will be chosen by Jeremy Bullmore, a "legendary creative" who joined Wunderman Thompson predecessor J. Walter Thompson in 1954, three years before the KitKat slogan was coined.
Dive Insight:
KitKat's global campaign around its iconic slogan celebrates the candy's longevity while addressing the current moment with modern tactics. By using the #ABreakForHaveABreak hashtag across social media, KitKat can expand the campaign's reach as consumers develop alternative slogans for the brand, either on their own or with Wunderman Thompson's AI slogan generator.
Giving the contest winner an 85-hour stay at a luxury hotel taps into consumers' desires to take a break from daily lives that have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The candy brand stands alongside other companies offering people escapism from current stressors of these uncertain times. Other brands, including Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold and Coors Light, have provided folks a chance to decompress via socially-distant getaways.
By tapping J. Walter Thompson veteran Bullmore to judge the campaign, KitKat can play up nostalgia for a brand that has been a popular part of the candy zeitgeist for several generations. As KitKat celebrates its 85th anniversary, other candy brands are navigating an unusual Halloween season due to the pandemic. This month, Sour Patch Kids and Mars Wrigley have introduced their festive campaigns, rolling out reverse trick-or-treating and virtual activations, respectively. Similarly, Trolli introduced its own video game to attract homebound gamers to its gummy sweets.
Given consumers' coronavirus concerns, candy consumption is expected to look different this Halloween season, as 43% of Americans aren't participating in trick-or-treating activities this year, per a report from market researcher Numerator. Still, 62% of respondents are buying candy for themselves or their household. Meanwhile, seasonal candy promotions have declined 38% since last year, but the amount of candy ads with Halloween messaging has seen an uptick from 2019, Numerator found.
