The Break That Made History: The Story of the iconic slogan 'Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat'​ (2024)

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The Break That Made History: The Story of the iconic slogan 'Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat'​? ›

However, it was not until 1957 that Donald Gilles, an employee at JWT London advertising agency, coined the brand's iconic slogan: 'Have a break, have a KitKat,' to tie Kitkat's advertising messages to its core product values of 'associating the KitKat bar with the enjoyment of a short break from the working day'.

Donald Gilles, an advertising executive in the well-known agency JWT in London, coined the “Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat” slogan in 1957. It was first aired on television in a UK advertisem*nt in 1958 and has remained the slogan for the brand in the UK and other markets since then.

Let's immerse ourselves in the simple yet powerful concept of KitKat's iconic advertising slogan: 'Have a break, have a KitKat. ' Introduced in 1937, Kitkat is one of the world's favorite chocolate brands and one of the most famous slogans.

In the 1930s, British confectionery company Rowntree's founded KitKat in the United Kingdom. The vision was to create a chocolate bar that could be consumed on-the-go without creating a mess, which lead to the birth of KitKat.

However, Nestle also says that the “name first appeared on a boxed assortment of chocolates that Rowntree's made during the 1920s.” That name officially came from an 18th century Whig literary club titled after a man named Christopher Catling—or Kit Cat. It sounds like that might be the real origin of the Kit Kat name!

As per speculations, it was taken out of the acronym “Keep In touch, Kappa Alpha Theta,” the slogan of the sorority group! The crunchy sound of the candy was the inspiration. Though Rowntree registered Kit Kat's name in 1911, he did not do anything about it till the 1920s.

The Kit Kat was first produced as a crisp, four-finger chocolate wafer bar in the 1930s, in Britain, by the chocolate manufacturer Rowntree's. The company was named for Henry Isaac Rowntree, who bought a small grocery store in York that also operated a cocoa foundry.

Introduced in August 29 in 1935 by Rowntree's as a confectionery business based in York, United Kingdom, Kit Kat, now owned by Nestlé, is one of the world's leading chocolate brands.

This name closely resembles the phrase kitto katsutoo (きっと勝つとぉ), meaning 'you shall surely win'. In Japanese, kitto mean 'surely' or 'certainly' and katsu means 'to win'. For this reason, Kit-Kats are given to students not just as treats, but as good luck charms before important exams.

Does Hershey own Kit Kat? ›

In the US, Kit Kat is sold by Hershey. In the rest of the world, Nestlé's in charge. That means different flavors across the globe, and different recipes — even two versions of a dark chocolate Kit Kat, Hershey's and Nestlé's, don't taste the same.

"You Deserve a Break Today," which we launched for McDonald's in 1971, was later named jingle of the century by Advertising Age.

In addition to its food offerings, McDonald's is also recognized for its iconic "Golden Arches" logo and its "I'm Lovin' It" slogan.

The first Kit Kat bar to hit the shelves would hardly be noticeable to Kit Kat lovers today as its wrapper was once blue. First entering the candy scene in the UK back in 1935, the Kit Kat was originally named Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp and wrapped in a red wrapper (via Nestle Travel Retail).

(Nestlé's website, too, is more forthcoming about the origin of the name Kit Kat, explaining that it was derived from the nickname of a man named Christopher Catling, or “Kit Cat,” who started “an 18th century Whig literary club.”)

Marketing for Kit Kats in Japan is believed to have benefited from the coincidental false cognate with "Kitto Katsu", a phrase meaning "You will surely win" in Japanese. Some market research has shown that the brand is strongly correlated to good luck charms, particularly among students ahead of exams.

In 1957, Donald Gilles of the J. Walter Thompson ad agency created the slogan “Have a break. Have a Kit Kat” with the idea of associating the Kit Kat bar with the enjoyment of a short break from the working day.

The KIT KAT^® Bar got its start across the pond in 1935. Originally known by Londoners as “Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp,” the candy was renamed in 1937 to “Kit Kat^® Chocolate Crisp.” While KIT KAT^® Bars are a global confection, The Hershey Company has produced the candy in the U.S. since 1970.

Since its debut in 1986, the Kit Kat jingle has repeatedly been recognized as one of the most memorable advertising jingles of all time.