2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

How can data help KitKat re-associate its brand with “Break” amongst Millennials and Gen Z and push brand consideration? This case demonstrates the power of data and engaging with our audience through scalable relevance and breakthrough content. Using Google data, we were able to tailor-make content, and use search to speak one-on-one to our audience in way that no other brand did before. Not only that, but we also personalized YouTube, a ‘reach-based’ platform, to make it more engaging and personal, giving our audience a ‘break’ they never expected, and one that is truly un-skippable.

Background

‘Have a break, have a KitKat’ has been KitKat’s slogan for years, and for so long, the brand was the only player tapping into the break occasion. Recently, the category started to decline, and in an attempt to create excitement amongst our audience and get them to consume more, KitKat has been focusing on launching innovations rather than supporting its core equity and platform. This allowed other brands to gain traction in the ‘break’ territory and threatened to affect our core business. We needed to react and reclaim back the ‘Break Territory’ in a way that was never done before.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

3 billion: the number of searches YouTube gets in a month. Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day. Siri receives over a billion requests, from over a million locations per week. No wonder Technology fails us sometimes…. But what if all of this is just a sign from technology asking us for a break? The idea: ‘Give Technology a break’ The perfect opportunity for KitKat to own those “troubleshoots” and claim them as breaks. So, while every other brand is focusing on giving ‘people a break’, switching the conversation to technology in today’s world, would definitely stand out and create TOM.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

With the category being driven by impulse, we needed to breakthrough using a distinctive approach to communications. Our core audience are 18-34 year-olds (Gen Z + Millennials). They are heavy consumers of YouTube. In fact, Saudi Arabia (biggest market in the region) has the highest YouTube watch time per capita globally. And we know that their expectations from the platform are two-fold: *These youngsters turn to YouTube “to consume content that hits closer to home” making personalized content that speaks to individuals even more important in driving proximity. *We know that people ‘break’ online and search YouTube to pass the time and discover new videos to watch and share. Their frustration? Ads that come in the way of those breaks.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Using Data, we pinpointed the 200 most researched topics on YouTube in the region… And in different languages: Saudi, Egyptian and English. We launched around 50 contextual video ads on YouTube; and served our audiences these films based on the searches they had entered within the platform itself. And who better to star in them than the ‘Youtube guy’ himself? No matter what the audience searched for, they would see our character promising to play their videos… after his break. And each message was personalized. Whether it was sports highlights, or a makeup tutorial, he had them covered. If someone was searching for makeup tutorials, the pre-roll would show a man sitting on his desk enjoying a KitKat while videos of makeup tutorials are covering the wall behind him. He would then apologize and ask them to wait until he was done with his break. And the list goes on.

List the results (30% of vote)

By hypertargeting content based on relevant searches, and personifying a ‘reach-based’ platform to make it more engaging and personal, KitKat proved that a great break is truly un-skippable : 98.7M Impressions 45,5M Unique users 14.8% Recall (versus benchmark 11%) 6.8% Awareness (vs benchmark 3-5%)