Have a break have a KitKat

Have a Break Have a KitKat History

History of the slogan 'Have a break, have a KitKat" dates back to 1937 when Rowntree's of York, a confectioner, was forced to revise its recipe for the Chocolate Crisp bar due to food shortages during wartime.¹ Learning from an employee's idea of creating 'chocolate bars that can be pocketed and taken to work,' the confectioner invented its new chocolate bar wrapped in blue paper and named it KitKat.¹

However, it was not until 1957 that Donald Gilles, an employee at JWT London advertising agency, coined the brand's iconic slogan: 'Have a break, have a KitKat,' to tie Kitkat's advertising messages to its core product values of 'associating the KitKat bar with the enjoyment of a short break from the working day'.¹

In 1988, as Nestlé acquired Rowntree's of York, KitKat became a chief product under Nestlé's distribution. Ever since then, Nestlé has made constant efforts to trademark the "Have a break" slogan across KitKat's marketing and advertising strategies.¹

Have a Break, Have a KitKat Commercials

The first official appearance of the tagline in a commercial can be traced back to May 1957 in Donald Gilles' introduction of KitKat and its new slogan. In 1958, the 'Have a break, have a KitKat' slogan featured in the first television commercial for KitKat.

Let's look at some of the milestones of 'Have a break, have a KitKat' in commercials throughout history.

Elevenses (1958)

In 1958, KitKat introduced the tagline on a popular show, Elevenses, the common 11:00 am tea break activity among British factory workers. It reminded people to take a break from anything stressful through comedic situations.

Panda Kitkat Advert (1959)

In 1959, 'Panda Kitkat Advert' told the story of a photographer attempting to snap a photo of a pair of pandas in a zoo. However, it was not until the photographer decided to take a break that the panda finally appeared on roller skates!

No Rest for the Wicked (1987)

Adapting to the public interest through an irreverent sense of humor in commercials, in 1987, KitKat and its 'No Rest for the Wicked' advertisement featured a devil and an angel taking a break from their daily 'jobs' in the foyer of an office building. The harmonious relationship between an angel and a devil while eating KitKat entertained and impressed audiences.

Peace and Love (2001)

In 2001, Nestlé breathed fresh air into its advertisement for Kitkat across the UK with a tagline twist: 'Give Yourself a KitKat. Give Yourself a Break' with its special commercial video: 'Peace and Love.'

2001 onwards

Entering the exploding era of commercials and technology, Nestlé diversified its KitKat commercial content to touch various industries and even personal contexts. Yet, the core relevance remains in the relationship between KitKat, an individual's workplace, and their recreation time.

KitKat Marketing Strategy

We can distinguish three important elements of KitKat's Marketing Strategy:

• Consistent tagline
• Unique flavors
• Aggressive social media marketing

Consistent Tagline

Since its first commercial appearance in 1958, the tagline 'Have a break, have a KitKat' has never changed.² The phrase is catchy and easy to remember.

By branding a consistent and friendly tagline, KitKat and its slogan 'Have a break, have a KitKat' has assisted Nestlé in executing its strategy of making KitKat a part of everyone's life.²

Unique Flavors

Kitkat follows a localization marketing strategy in which the brand markets customized flavors, editions, and product sizes for each separate location. For instance, you can find half-finger-sized KitKat bars during your trip in Japan, while 12-finger-sized family KitKat bars are typical in supermarkets across France and Australia.

With over 200 strange yet tasty variants of flavors such as soy sauce, ginger ale, or orange, Kitkat has created cross-country excitement for its products.

There has been a global trend in tasting and reviewing different flavors of KitKat, among which a famous series by BuzzFeed, ' Americans Try Exotic Japanese KitKat,' has received enormous public attention with over 9 million views and hundreds of comments worldwide.²

Fig. 2 - Diverse unique flavors of KitKat

Aggressive Social Media Marketing

With over 999,000 followers on Instagram and 25 million followers on Facebook, KitKat has leveraged its social media platforms as a primary marketing and communication channel.

A unique approach KitKat takes in its social media marketing is moment marketing.³

For KitKat, moment marketing implies the interaction and collaboration between KitKat and other brands online to bring the KitKat brand's fun, empathetic, and playful personality to life.

Kit Kat Marketing Mix

KitKat possesses a balanced marketing mix within which each element has a strong relationship. Below is a detailed description of each of KitKat's marketing mix elements:

KitKat has heavily invested in its advertising activities, with the brand's advertising budget being over £16 million spent in 2009 in the UK.⁵

The core advertising message of KitKat lies in its slogan: 'Have a break, have a KitKat.'

The brand has made regular use of two advertising channels:

• Television commercials: As mentioned earlier, KitKat has invested much into its commercials on television with a common theme of 'Have a break.'

• Innovative advertising campaigns: With its rich collection of over 100 advertising campaigns, KitKat has made the concept of 'Have a break, have a KitKat' an annual global ritual of taking a break and enjoying the current moment.