Last month, 410,000 KitKat chocolate bars were stolen in Italy. But, the chocolate brand knew the old adage about life and lemons, and flipped the script making news for a marketing stunt hiring a security convoy for its KitKat truck in Toronto.
If you spotted a convoy of black SUVs escorting a transport truck through downtown Toronto this week, it wasn’t a political motorcade — just a top secret chocolate delivery.
The sweet stunt was complete with flashing lights, suited guards, and a truck rolling along Yonge Street and the Gardiner.
The campaign was created by Toronto advertising agency Courage.
“Rather than relying on heavy messaging, we tapped into a distinctly Canadian sensibility, an inside joke audiences could immediately understand and participate in. No explanation needed: just a KitKat delivery truck, fully escorted as if it were high-value cargo.” said Joel Holtby, founder and co-CCO, Courage.
In addition to the convoy, KitKat also posted a tongue-in-cheek job notice on social media seeking security guards with “big break energy” to protect “high-value, high-profile assets.”
As a result of the events, a social media video showed a chocolate truck under heavy guard, flanked by presidential-style SUVs, making its way through Toronto traffic went viral.
Rather than issuing a dry corporate statement about the robbery, KitKat’s Canadian team opted for something clever: a joke, and a spectacle on the streets of Toronto.
The stunt made headlines around the world.
