2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Right now, AI is a force poised to change how humans interact with technology and is ever present in our consciousness. In this context, KitKat found a way to get people to use their iconic tagline, 'Have a break' as they prompt AI language models like ChatGPT for answers.

The campaign marked a brand new way to use the burgeoning AI technology, thus catching the attention of major leaders in the AI space.

Today, AI is tasked with doing just about everything, from generating heartfelt letters to returning thoroughly detailed research results. And, as it turns out those results could be enhanced with the right prompting. A recent Google DeepMind study on large language model-based AIs, detailed how prompting “take a breather” before any request improves the accuracy of the response. Which had the agency and KitKat thinking, would it work with the world’s most iconic tagline?

Hacking AI platforms to be more accurate by prompting them to “Have A Break” before posing a question.

Grounded in credible Google DeepMind research, they gave the world a new way to optimize large language model AI platforms with the help of KitKat’s iconic tagline.

KitKat set out to prove that popular AI language models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini (previously Google Bard), and Microsoft CoPilot could be improved with the right prompt. In this case the prompt was KitKat’s iconic tagline, “Have A Break”.

The agency then gathered results from popular AI platforms, finding that leading questions with the prompt “Have A Break” did indeed give users improved results (improving accuracy all the way up to 100%). They shared their digital discovery with the world via an engaging video that prompted viewers to share it and engage with AI in a groundbreaking way.

While other brands might use AI merely as a buzzword or focus on being the first to use this technology, KitKat integrated AI into its core message about the importance of taking breaks.

The results were impressive with “Have AI Break” becoming one of the most shared videos in the AI community and culture at large.

The campaign had everyone, from some of the most influential voices in the tech and AI community, like Allie K. Miller, to university professors and Google employees typing KitKat’s famous tagline over and over again – using “have a break” to answer their questions.

The campaign generated over 80 million organic impressions and delivered 280% Media ROI, surpassing all industry benchmarks.

Credits

Agency: Courage Inc
Dhaval Bhatt: Founder + CCO
Joel Holtby: Founder + CCO
Tom Kenny: Partner + CSO
Niki Sahni: Partner + President
Tommy Yong: Associate Creative Director
Matt Miller: Associate Creative Director
Emma Lorenzi: Writer
Alex Karayannides: Group Account Director
Sacha Alleyne: Account Director
Niharika Chadha: Account Supervisor
Jordan McConnell: Account Executive
Lyndsey Westfall: Sr. Strategist
Clair Galea: Executive Producer
Katie Fowler:Producer
Sunaina Arora: Post Production Coordinator
Marcus Barrie: Editor + Motion Graphics

Client: KitKat Canada
Aseem Gulati: Senior Marketing Manager
Jenny Chu: Assistant Marketing Manager
Riona Coller:Marketing Leader, Everyday Confectionery
Tracey Cooke: Senior Vice President, CMO
Brittany Blow: Corporate Affairs

Animation: Alter Ego
Edward Deng - Graphic Designer
VFX Executive Producer - Hilda Pereira
VFX Producer - Bobbi Dedman

Audio: Eggplant
Executive Producer - Nicola Treadgold
Audio Director - Jamie Pennock
Composer - Peter Pacey
Sound Design and Mix - Peter Pacey