2025 Winner

When computers around the world suddenly went dark during an outage in the summer of 2024, KitKat saw an unexpected opportunity to remind everyone of its iconic message: “Have a break.” As millions of Windows devices crashed, flashing the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death,” KitKat quickly transformed the screen into a playful, perfectly timed ad. Within two hours, the brand released its own version of the blue screen, mimicking the layout and tone of the error message but adding a twist. This version invited users to “Have a break,” complete with a QR code linking to KitKat purchases. The brand saw a 230% spike in social engagement, a 520% jump in earned media value and a 179% return on ad spend.

Credits

Agency: Courage Inc
Founder + CCO: Dhaval Bhatt
Founder + CCO: Joel Holtby
Partner + CSO: Tom Kenny
President + Partner: Niki Sahni
Creative Director, Writer: Hemal Dhanjee
Creative Director, Art Director: Steve Ierullo
Copywriter: Kushal Lalvani
Group Account Director: Alex Karayannides
Account Director: Sacha Alleyne
Account Supervisor: Niharika Chadha
Account Executive: Jordan McConnell
Strategy: Lyndsey Westfall
Editor and Motion Graphics: Marcus Barrie
Executive Producer: Clair Galea
Junior Producer and Post Producer: Sunaina Arora

Animation: Alter Ego Inc
Motion Designer: Ian Flaig
Producer: Bobbi Dedman

Client: KitKat, Nestlé Canada
Tracey Cooke - Senior Vice President, CMO
Riona Coller - Marketing Leader, Everyday Confectionery Aseem Gulati - Senior Marketing Manager
Zeeshan Quereshi - Marketing Manager
Danielle Weiss - Assistant Marketing Manager

Media Agency: Thrive Media
Stefano Norcia - VP, Client Business Partner
Kristin Hands - Senior Director, Connections Planning
Allison Schuck - Planner, Connections Planning