Insight
The marketing challenge was to introduce Kit Kat into the chocolate category, starting in Bogota the biggest city of Colombia with a population of more than 8 million - a huge challenge understanding the traditional consumption of local brands. Also it needed to introduce DNA of Kit Kat: The break. “Have a Break have a Kit Kat”.
Bogotá, with a high density population, traffic jams and not the best public system is really one of the most stressful cities in Latin America. A crowded city deserves “A Break” or at least to have a break in the daily routine of the people. So how could Mindshare give them a Kit Kat break in their routine?
The budget was not so big, so the agency needed to focus on the launch campaign getting effective reach during the launch period in Bogotá. It wouldn’t have additional budget for extra activities. So how could it optimise the media budget to have a break with Kit Kat?
Working together with the creative agency, Mindshare created the first Massaging Billboard – the first Billboard (Bus Stop Billboard) in the world that gives massages to relieve stress. A great opportunity to use a Billboard not only to support a campaign, was the opportunity to translate the DNA of Kit Kat and help the people of Colombia to relax.
Strategy
The idea was so good that the client gave the agency the go ahead to make it real. Mindshare saw a good opportunity to demonstrate how an idea of media could catalyse peoples’ attention and generate digital conversation from this.
If the Billboards were the most relevant part of the campaign, other media could complete this action by generating expectation about it. That’s why Mindshare used other media during the campaign to talk about Billboard Massages.
Digital was key to promote the theme and tell people about the idea, where to find it and how it works. With the budget available, only 20 billboards could give the massage, so a social media strategy was developed to geo-localise each billboard. At the same time, the experience was very relevant. It opened a channel on Twitter to generate conversations about the experience.
Maybe the Billboard Massage was just a moment of relief for a couple of minutes while consumers waited for a bus but the engagement with the people was huge. People understood the intention: Take them out of the routine, out of the traffic jam and give them a break.
Execution
During one month, Mindshare placed more than one hundred billboards across the city, 20 of which were massaging billboards; a simple billboard that activates a mechanism to give a massage just by leaning against the billboard. To make it real, the agency contacted the billboard provider and developed this idea. If someone was waiting for the bus, they were invited to relax through a call-to-action, reading: “Come. I will give you a Massage.”
Digital was utilised to complete the action. Twitter told people where the billboards were, Google was used to geo-localise billboards, Facebook and Twitter to open a direct conversation about the massage experience. Radio was also used to complete the activity.
Results
- Total Awareness increased in only one period from 13% to 21% (Source RAC)
- Advertising Awareness increased from 0% to 8% in the same period
- Total chocolate inventory sold through main retailers (3.5 % SOM during same period)
- 35% additional fans on Twitter
- More than 2,500 comments about Kit Kat Billboards.