It’s days before Easter. A red vehicle is leaving Italy with a priceless cargo when, inexplicably, it goes missing en route. While it sounds like a plot of The Italian Job, it’s actually chocolate bars that have been swiped rather than gold bars: 12 tonnes of limited-edition KitKats shaped like F1 cars to be precise.
How did Nestlé respond?
Nestlé followed a good professional crisis comms plan:
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They quickly put out a clear statement to avoid an information black hole, inevitably filled by ‘the internet’.
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They acknowledged the problem.
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They assured customer safety and that supply chains weren’t affected.
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They outlined their next steps.
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They spoke about an industry-wide cargo theft issue, using the event to spotlight a wider problem while also highlighting it’s not a Nestlé error.
All good comms stuff.
Then they upped their game.
High stakes easter egg hunt
KitKat know their audience and they know how to create a buzz. A serious crime and a crisis are no exception. Their PR teams were certainly not having a break. Or a missing KitKat.
And what does the internet like more than playing detective?
29th March: KitKat US takes to social media to post a crime photo wall complete with zigzagging string, pins and post-it notes. The post for 35k likes with comments asking, “Are we going to get a Netflix documentary?”
1st April: Nestlé launched a Stolen KitKat tracker, a website where you can put in the batch code on the wrapper and the site will tell you if your car bar is one of the stolen bars.
“This KitKat Wasn’t Stolen. Keep Searching And Help Us Widen The Search By Sharing”
A global Easter Egg hunt was underway. Only, they had a slight problem with the date they decided to launch it.
“Thank you for your interest in the missing KitKats. But just to clarify, this is not a stunt or an April Fool’s Joke. Someone really stole 12 tonnes of KitKats. And we really want to know where they’ve gone”
Whether the date was an oversight or a plan, it got people talking, sharing and creating endless memes. Brands jumped on the chance to use it as their own April Fool’s social post.
KitKat were firmly in control of the narrative and part of the joke rather than at the receiving end.
Brands hopped on board
KitKat responded to a serious event but didn’t take itself too seriously.
Other brands got the memo and the tone and did not miss the opportunity to join in with hilarious tongue-in-cheek responses.
Domino’s went viral, saying: “We would like to share our deepest condolences with Kit Kat following their recent sad news. On a completely unrelated note, we’re pleased to announce that we’ll now be selling a new KitKat pizza.”
Visit Brussels shared a picture of Manneken Pis dressed in KitKat wrappers and giving out “10.8 tonnes of KitKats”.
KFC said “sorry guys we’re product testing for the 12th herb and spice”
Why did this work?
A crisis and a growing problem of cargo theft turned into an exciting, viral event AND made it more likely for Nestlé to track down the chocolates, a product that’s very easy to redistribute.
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This worked because Nestlé seriously addressed the problem first with formal but human language.
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They understood their audience and adapted their approach to talk in a way their key audience understands – as well as leveraging buzz and excitement.
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They acted fast, both with their professional statement and their meme-worthy content.
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They took the event from passive to active with the KitKat tracker by encouraging their audience to participate rather than just consume the news.
By making the world invested detectives, they spread their net far and wide, with a real-world outcome of making it more likely that they will track the stolen chocolate, while making their brand look competent, agile and savvy.
Whether you’re in confectionery, mortgages, financial services or automotive, the stakes are high in a crisis. At bClear, we help clients get the fundamentals right at speed, reinforcing credibility and keeping you firmly in control of the narrative.
Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a crisis to plan for it. Get in touch today.
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