Earlier this year, more than 12 tons of Formula 1-branded chocolate KitKat cars were stolen in a cargo raid while in transit through central Italy.
Though the story had all the makings of a Hollywood film starring Jason Statham, it was a real-world robbery. And a potential crisis for a household brand.
Here’s how KitKat used humour to lean into the story, and shape the narrative into a viral media moment.
KitKat's first move
Every light at KitKat HQ must have been flashing red the moment they found out about the chocolate bar heist. But they wouldn’t stay on the back foot for long.
Going public with news of the theft, the company’s press statement played on their brand slogan:
“We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat, but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tons of our chocolate. Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.”
Humour played a key part in containing the damage. But they went on to acknowledge the severity of the incident and reassure customers that there would be no knock-on effects on supply and that there were no consumer safety concerns.
The element of surprise
Later that week, on what happened to be April’s Fools Day, the company made another bold move. They went on social to make a big announcement: the launch of a new live tracker for the stolen chocolate bars.
The tool allowed customers to become detectives. They could use the unique batch code found on the back of each KitKat bar, and see whether their KitKats were linked to the heist.
It was a great way to engage the public, drive sales, and keep the story in the headlines, which was exactly what the KitKat PR machine wanted.
The story made column inches all around the world – not to mention generating a whole truckload of love on social. Their initial X post got over 100 million views and tens of thousands of retweets.
KitKat’s global social media team went at top speed, creating memes like ‘The Great KitKat Job’ and a spoof storyboard of the big heist.
Competitors were quick to spot the opportunity for online banter and jump on the bandwagon: IKEA kindly offered up a depot and Domino’s unveiled a new ‘KitKat’ pizza.
From Blenheim Palace (which had a £4.8m golden toilet stolen recently) to Currys, RyanAir and McDonalds, seemingly everyone wanted to put out their own take on the viral trend.
It was this unexpected interactive element, blended with humour, that created such a winning PR moment for KitKat. By making light of it, they owned the story.
The KFC playbook
KitKat may have gotten some of their ideas from KFC.
The fast-food chain also used humour when it found itself in a pickle back in 2018. A supply-side issue left them without chicken, forcing them to close many of their outlets. Unimpressed customers took to social media to voice their displeasure with the #chickencrisis hashtag, and the media were quick to pick up the story.
As a response, KFC ran an an apology in multiple newspapers featuring an empty KFC bucket and rearranging the letters of its name to spell ‘FCK’. It was sassy and risked offending many people, but the gamble paid off.
Their quick thinking turned an embarrassing PR crisis into a big win. KFC is known for being tongue-in-cheek, and again, this was an example of brand voice tying in perfectly with the response.
The KFC apology ad as it appeared in the Metro. Image: KFC / via Evening Standard
No laughing matter
Obviously, very few crisis communications situations lend themselves to humour. It can easily backfire, so any PR team needs to mindful of whether the conditions are exactly right for such a response.
For KitKat, it was a good decision. But, if the incident had caused a loss of life or serious injury, the response would have taken a much more sombre tone. In this case, the stakes remained low – no one could be too put out by stolen chocolate.
KtiKat’s response aligned perfectly with their cheeky brand voice, and they used their ‘take a break’ tagline artfully in their press releases.
If you’re trying to decide whether to hit the ‘humour’ button in a crisis, the first rule of thumb is: don’t fake it. Any response has to be true to your brand’s voice and core values.
Humour has the possibility to build empathy and connection with your audience, but it has to be carefully deployed.
Get into the planning habit
While KitKat couldn’t have planned for such a strange scenario as a chocolate heist, their response shows a high level of strategic crisis communications.
The company’s first response was speedy, factual, clear and true to their brand. Their press statement was a well-executed balancing act that included humour without downplaying the incident. They got the tone right while ensuring the important, serious messages still reached their intended audience.
In a crisis, an effective comms plan and robust processes will help you mitigate the worst impacts and hopefully shield you from long-lasting reputational damage.
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