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KitKat Invites People To ‘Have A Break’, Without Even Saying It

Wunderman Thompson UK turns the iconic 66-year old tagline into a digital OOH campaign

By Creative Salon

03 May 2023

Wunderman Thompson UK has created an out-of-home ads for KitKat that carries only two words, 'Have a...', to prove the enduring power of a consistent brand message.

KitKat introduced its ‘Have a Break, Have a KitKat’ tagline in 1957, and to this day it’s widely recognised all around the world.

Now KitKat has gone one step further, pushing the boundaries of how many letters are needed on a poster to understand a brand message. Embracing the heritage of the brand, Wunderman Thompson UK has created a unique type of digital out-of-home poster. Going live this week at the O2 Arena in London, the poster brings the spirit of the brand to life in a way that only KitKat can… by taking a break halfway through creating the ad.

The poster shows only the five letters of ‘Have a’ in white text on a distinctive red background, with the space bar blinking where you would expect to see the word ‘Break’. In a survey run by Wunderman Thompson UK, well over half of people not only identified the brand, but also understood the brand message, demonstrating the power of the ‘Have a Break, Have a KitKat’ tagline.

Tom Drew, Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson UK, comments: "Ten years from the first half-finished billboard, the KitKat slogan is stronger than ever. Even though we’re depicting the copywriter having a break, we certainly won’t be taking one ourselves – even after 66 years, there are still so many stories we can tell for our brilliant KitKat clients.”

Stephanie Scales, Senior Brand Manager KitKat & Biscuits, adds: “KitKat has famously encouraged people to have a break for decades, and this poster took that one step further, encouraging people to have a break without explicitly saying it. All it takes is five letters to communicate one legendary message.”