KitKat’s ‘Break Better’ Shows Why You Need an Escape from Life's Chaos

KitKat’s new campaign 'Break Better' takes aim at the challenges of finding quality rests in today’s relentless pace of life.

Building on the brand's enduring tagline, 'Have a Break, Have a KitKat,' the campaign highlights the struggle many face in achieving meaningful rest amid constant distractions and pressures.

Created by VML, the fully integrated campaign spans TV, online video, out-of-home, social and influencer, and will go live across the world, starting with the UK, followed by the rest of Europe, Canada and Australia.

The campaign will be further adapted for different countries across the globe.

“KitKat has been the brand that owns breaks for over 80 years, but we needed to find a way to resonate with the pressures on young people’s lives today. We want to not just champion the importance of taking breaks, but to help the world break better for years to come,” says Chris O’Donnell, global lead, KitKat at Nestlé.

The hero film at the centre of the campaign sees a man in a bustling office contending with a swarm of paperwork, sticky notes and office tech that cling to him like magnets. Against the backdrop of Queen’s iconic anthem ‘I Want to Break Free’, he walks out of the office in pursuit of a break. The day-to-day paraphernalia only drops to the floor once he opens a four finger KitKat and snaps the crispy chocolate wafer bar. The advert ends with the iconic tagline ‘Have a Break, Have a KitKat’.

“A decent break always comes from an ability to fully disconnect. It’s been so much fun to bring this idea to life across such a broad range of channels and in such a playful way. It’s safe to say, the whole team are now enjoying a well-earned, proper - break” adds Tom Drew, ECD at VML UK.

As we all navigate busy lives, breaks are more important than ever. However, new research conducted by KitKat via Kantar across five markets has shown that while people feel they take enough breaks, just 34 per cent of consumers say they often take breaks that are of good quality.

Whether consumers feel they have less control over their schedule, increasing time pressures, are busy multitasking, or are simply not able to switch off their minds; many are spending their breaks either distracted or interrupted.

The wider campaign brings this insight to life, further highlighting areas in our lives where our breaks are interrupted. Out-of-home interrupts KitKat’s iconic endline while social executions, in collaboration with creators and influencers, demonstrate interruptions that come up in their own lives.

Break Better was directed by Randy Krallman at Smuggler with production managed by Hogarth. Media planning and buying is by OpenMind.

CREDITS

Client: Nestlé - KitKat

Vp & global head of KitKat - Chris O’Donnell

Global strategic marketing & communications lead, KitKat ® - Wael Jabi

Consumer insight specialist - Laura Pass

Agency: VML UK

Global cco, innovation – Bas Korsten

Chief creative officer – Ryan McManus

Executive creative director – Tom Drew

Creative team – Will Simpson and Rowan Hopkins

Creative team (OOH) - Niraj Zaveri & Justin Ebert, David Adamson & Richard Prentice

Senior copywriter - Rick Ardito

Global chief strategy officer – Neil Dawson

Chief strategy officer, EMEA – Anna Vogt

Strategy director – Dan Tendler & Joao Caputi

Strategist - Feranmi Akintola

Global client lead – Inge Selawry

Network and operations lead – Loren Hargreaves

Managing partner – Tim Boxall

Business director – Vicky Marlow

Senior account manager – Keara Voigt

Project director – Katie Oldfield

Senior project manager – Hayley Langton

EMEA chief social officer – Christina Miller

Social media manager – Sarah Whiley, Julia Strong

Production: Smuggler

Production: Hogarth

Global client managing director - Marina Klug

Business director - Louise Smith

Account director - Alexandra Parker

Senior producer - Manuela Franzini

Production assistant - Abraham Elton

Post producer - Rachel Archer, Annika Gustavsson and Alex Plantin

Audio - Sam Cross

Grade - Ben Rogers

Flame/VFX - Mark Beardall, Ozgur Yigit, Ksenia Usenko, Parry Lam

CGI - Senior 3D artist - Jason Martine, Chris Barralet

CGI supervisor - Andrew Gould

Motion graphics – Luis Pedro

MSE - Marshall Street Editors - Matt Pochettino