Squirrels get a break in Kit Kat commercial

Category: Confectionary (Chocolate)

Company: Nestle

Campaign: Take a break with squirrels

I couldn’t resist myself from writing about the most exciting campaign ever from the stable of Nestle’s chocolate brand, Kit Kat.

In the previous post of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Shubh Aarambh campaign I have laid out an overview of Indian Confectionary Industry. As stated in the previous post, Nestlé with its brands, Munch, Kit Kat, Bar One and Milkybar, has about 25 per cent of market share in the total confectionary industry. Kit Kat falls under the sub-category of chocolate which is dominated by Cadbury Dairy Milk. In recent period the market share of Nestle Kit Kat was ceded by the Cadbury’s Perk. The recent campaign could be the reaction to this defeat.

Nestlé Kit Kat was launched in India in 1995 and was well received by consumers owing to both the 'finger format' of the chocolate as well as the way its advertising celebrated the 'consumption ritual'. Globally Nestle Kit Kat follows the same proposition of “Have a break have a Kit Kat”. It is very difficult to find out & implement the brand proposition which suits all your markets. But once you find it you will have a cake walk in handling the brand.

Let’s check the effectiveness & rationale of the brand proposition. Brand proposition is nothing but a benefit offered by a brand which gives reason to the consumer to consider your brand. Unfortunately it is very difficult in chocolate category to offer any rational or emotional benefit. Kit Kat is facing the same problems as all other brands in the confectionary category are facing i.e. the problem of brand recognition. As I have mentioned in my previous post, in confectionary category, it is very important to give some reason to the target group to buy your brand to minimise the impulse purchase. You need to create Brand Salience (the brand’s propensity to be noticed or come to mind in buying situations) in the category of confectionary; Cadbury is doing this & that too very effectively. To achieve brand salience what could be better than the proposition like “Have a break have a Kit Kat”, which offers you an occasion to have a Kit Kat i.e. a break.

The 'Have a break, have a Kit Kat' tagline got a 'desi' twist a few years ago, when the brand rolled out its 'Kit Kat break toh banta hai' communication. Now, the campaign marked the return to its 'take a break' ideation, after the brand had given it a rest for a while.

The brand has always targeted the youth and it is logical too. The fast & furious world is driven by youth only. And it is logical to offer them a rest with a Kit Kat.

Key lies in communicating such a good proposition. This time Kit Kat has launched a new ad campaign to extend the brand thought. The new campaign for the brand urges youngsters to celebrate the present and notice the fun events in their surroundings.

The first TVC of the campaign is on air and creating buzz for the brand.  The TVC begins with a visual of two young men sitting in a park. One of them is involved in his work, completely engrossed in his laptop and headphones, whereas the other pops opens a Kit Kat. No sooner does he eat the chocolate than a couple of animated squirrels appear in front of him. He is shocked to see how the male squirrel is wooing the female by singing Bollywood songs and performing some pretty raunchy dance moves. However, when he tries to show his friend the scene, the friend is unable to see what he sees. The friend is clearly not interested in what the first youngster is trying to show him and even expresses a hint of annoyance. The film ends with a VO that states 'Mana ki life bahut busy hai, Par kabhi kahi break lo, Kit Kat khao, Zindagi aapko shayad kuch haseen dikhade'.

According to me till now Kit Kat was at brand benefit stage as it was focusing on the consumer benefits. Till now Kit Kat had TVC’s focusing on the literal meaning of break between tasks & the ‘consumption ritual’ with ‘finger format’. It also tried the theme of ‘more chocolaty’ through its TVC’s. But now it is entering into area of emotions by focusing on the brand value. It is now trying to extend its brand philosophy of ‘take a break’. The ad tells you to get out of your busy, gadget-laden world and get into the real world for a change.

I think it is the time for Kit Kat to engage its consumers further by innovating the ways of the communication. With such a strong brand proposition it can have a ‘National Kit Kat break’ wherein it can appeal people to have a break at a particular time of the day on a particular day of the year. It is like the whole nation taking a break at the same time. For BTL campaigns it can target college canteens & movie theatres in the breaks & intervals respectively.

Wising all the best to Kit Kat!