- Kit Kat is introducing a quartet called the Break Brothers for its first character-driven standalone brand campaign, in line with a press release.
- The besuited, bouncer-like group, outfitted to mirror the 4 fingers of chocolate-coated wafer that make up a Kit Kat bar, ensure persons are in a position to take a break in a world where unwinding feels increasingly difficult, including because of taxing work environments.
- The first TV spot debuted Monday across the NCAA Men’s Championship Game while videos are also running across social channels including Instagram and TikTok. Kit Kat joins other confectionery marketers in nodding to larger societal stressors while positioning snacks as a solution.
Kit Kat continues to lean into its positioning around providing consumers a “break” — each in terms of time to unwind and snap apart its candy bars — this time aided by a group of stone-faced enforcers dedicated to making sure these reprieves go uninterrupted.
In the primary spot for the campaign, “Office,” an worker, Thomas, is settling into the break room to eat a Kit Kat when a coworker approaches him to debate email fonts for a document. Snapping off a piece of the Kit Kat magically summons the towering Break Brothers, who intimidate the coworker into leaving Thomas alone for some peace and quiet. Ad agency Orchard Creative is behind the hassle that seeks to evolve the “break” positioning Hershey-owned Kit Kat has employed in its promoting because the Nineteen Fifties.
Centering the campaign on brand characters — a first for Kit Kat — was partially driven by the necessity to have the concept translate beyond TV spots into other mediums, Orchard’s Senior Art Director Kevin Igunbor and Senior Copywriter Patrick Wells said in prepared comments across the announcement. The idea is for the Break Brothers to stay around for years to come back. “Break Brothers” otherwise features signature Kit Kat brand assets, akin to its older tagline and color scheme. Out-of-home, digital display and connected TV buys factor into the campaign’s media plan.
While Kit Kat’s latest marketing ploy is lighthearted, it addresses serious pressures, akin to longer work hours, multitasking and burnout. Shoddily implemented return-to-office policies could give “Break Brothers” some additional resonance for U.S. consumers. The ads also arrive because the economy teeters on the point of a recession because of a mounting trade war.
Other candy brands have recently tried to place a humorous spin on heavy issues. Mars-owned Twix last month shifted away from ads that played up the left-right divide of its twinned chocolate bars (which are literally the identical in terms of taste and ingredients). The global “Two is multiple” campaign, which carries a $70 million media investment, as a substitute focuses on unity, an approach Mars believes will resonate more with young consumers who’re sick of polarization and interested in living life to the fullest.
Read the complete article here
