The incredible consistency of the KitKat brand was highlighted by Andrew Tindall of System 1 in his recent Linked In post (1). “KitKat’s new campaign teaches us again that creative consistency is a marketing superpower,” Andrew wrote. The new campaign (see below) shows an office worker contending with a swarm of paperwork, sticky notes and office tech sticking to him. In System 1 testing it scored strongly on measures for both long-term share growth (4.4 Star Rating) and Short-term sales potential (1.25 Spike Rating) (2).
In this post we look at some of learning from the KitKat campaign.
1. Give the product a heroic role
The product plays a central role in this and all KitKat campaigns, being the break that makes the eater feel happier. The product “sausage” and emotional “sizzle” work together brilliantly as the test results below show:
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Speed of brand recognition jumps when the product is introduced in the “Fluency Trace” (below bottom)
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Positive emotions also jump at this point as shown in the “Face Trace” (below top)
2. Stick with your strong brand assets
KitKat is a one of the most impressive examples of consistently amplifying distinctive brand assets (DBAs). This is shown by a 99% “Fluency” score that measures the strength of branding.
Any guess on how long the brand has used the “Have A Break” brand idea and tagline? 20 years? 30 years? The answer is actually an amazing 68 years! The tagline, written by the JWT’s Donald Gilles in 1957, initially reflected the mid-morning tea break common in British factories. Over time it became more widely used.“The benefits in taking a break from something could be applied to all manner of stressful (and potentially comedic) situations,” as the Creative Review reported (3).
The genius in the KitKat campaign is to go beyond a simple endline. We also have the visual asset of snapping off a “finger” and breaking it in two. This coincides with a sonic device of the break. It is this multiple way of amplifying the Have a break brand idea that is so impressive.
3. Add some freshness
To be effective, consistent use of distinctive brand assets need more than simple repetition. We also need freshness. In the latest campaign, we have a new and contemporary setting, character and everyday challenge: pressure at work. “KitKat has been the brand that owns breaks for many years, but we needed to find a way to resonate with the pressures on young people’s lives today,” said Chris O’Donnell, global lead, KitKat at Nestlé (4).
A clever move in the latest film is to amplify the Have a break brand asset in a fresh way by using Queen’s iconic song ‘I Want to Break Free’.
4. Amplify across channels
The KitKat campaign is a multi-channel one, going across OOH and digital. “Putting campaigns on for longer, on more channels, predicts brand growth,” as Andrew states, drawing on System 1 research into consistency carried out with the IPA.
5. Have consistency in agency partners too
Andrew highlights that consistency in the case of KitKat is not just in terms of execution. The brand has also worked in partnership with agency VML for many years. “Client-agency tenure predicts ad quality”, Andrew says.
In conclusion, KitKat shows how creativity can be used to add freshness to a long-standing campaign, leveraging and reinforcing a brand’s distinctive assets.
