SUB CATEGORY :

USE OF AMBIENT: SMALL SCALE

ENTRANT COMPANY :

VML MANILA, MANILA

TITLE :

KITKAT BREAK BAR

BRAND :

KITKAT

ADVERTISER :

NESTLE PHILIPPINES

AGENCY :

VML MANILA, MANILA

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER :

GOLDA ROLDAN

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

JOE DY

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

MAAN BAUTISTA

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

BERN CORDORA/ALI SADSAD

HEAD OF ART :

JAVEY VILLONES

ART DIRECTOR :

TRISHIA VILLARMINO

COPYWRITER :

ANGEL SANTOS

AGENCY PRODUCER :

CAROL PE BENITO

TRAFFIC MANAGER :

LADY CAJANDING

ANIMATOR SPECIAL EFFECTS :

ANGEL CABANTO

COMPUTER ARTIST :

CHRISTOPHER CRISTOBAL

CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR :

RODEL VEGA

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

JERALD ANDRES

ACCOUNT MANAGER :

ARMAND BONIFACIO

STRATEGIC PLANNER :

MARI BONGALON

PR AGENCY :

GREENBULB COMMUNICATIONS, MANILA

PR DIRECTOR :

ROBYN CORTEZ

PR MANAGER :

TINA JAMISOLA

PR ASSOCIATE :

RUTHIE MENDOZA

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

HIT PRODUCTIONS, MANILA

VICE PRESIDENT CLIENT SERVICES :

SHARON AMBAS

MUSIC COMPOSER :

PETER JOSEPH LEGASTE

HEAD OF MUSIC PRODUCTION :

MIKE VILLEGAS

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

Small businesses in the Philippines have very limited manpower. So, when employees need to take a break and there’s no one to man the store, they turn to a long-time, well-known hack. They use the umbrella, the plastic chair, the slippery when wet sign, the nightstick, or whatever long thing they can fit between door handles as barricades. 

When Filipino customers see these, they understand that the employees are on a break. 

And when KitKat saw this age-old Filipino small business practice, the brand saw an opportunity to be part of local culture. 

The brand created the KitKat Break Bars, uncovering an untapped media space that was perfect for a brand about breaks. 

Soon, the KitKat Break Bars were everywhere. All over the Metro, and beyond. Giving every hardworking employee a much-deserved, uninterrupted break. 

CREATIVITY/IDEA/INSIGHT :

Because of the limited manpower in small businesses in the Philippines, employees often turn to a long-time, well-known hack when they need to take a break and there’s no one to man the store. They use the umbrella, the plastic chair, the slippery when wet sign, the nightstick, or or whatever long thing they can fit between door handles as barricades.
 
The brand saw this as an opportunity to be part of local culture and created the KitKat Break Bars. Now, instead of the makeshift barricades, the crew could now use these quirky wooden KitKat Break Bars to announce their break– thus, uncovering a perfectly untapped media space for the brand.

STRATEGY :

As a global brand, KitKat has always been a champion of breaks. 

To strengthen this position in the Philippines, the brand literally turned the well-known KitKat finger into a visual cue to reinforce the age-old Filipino small business practice of blocking their store doors with DIY barricades when they take a break. 

The brand partnered with Filipino-owned small stores and distributed the KitKat Break Bar to their employees. This prop now enabled and encouraged the store crew to enjoy their breaks – the KitKat way.  

Simultaneously, customers who saw these Break Bars were reminded that if stores deserved to take a break, perhaps they should have one as well. 

EXECUTION :

The KitKat Break Bars – wooden mock ups of the iconic KitKat finger wafer –  were manufactured using laser-cut acrylics over plywood layers and designed to be sturdy enough to withstand being used as a barricade.

These Bars were then distributed – at little to no cost – to small businesses around the Philippines. Specifically, establishments that often used DIY door barricades when employees needed to take a break. 

Soon, KitKat Break Bars were being used everywhere – all over the Metro, and beyond – further cementing how KitKat represented breaks.

RESULT :

With these executions, the brand got to reinforce its position as the ultimate break companion and now, an icon of Filipino breaks. 

The bars also inspired local influencers and content creators to upload social media posts celebrating the KitKat Break Bar and these establishments, as Filipino customers took it as a sign to respect the crew’s break-time.