The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2025
KitKat's Phone Break swaps phones for chocolate in outdoor ads — Cannes Outdoor Grand Prix
VML Czechia shot everyday scenes with KitKats in hand where phones would be — no headline, no logo — and the image alone won Cannes' Outdoor Grand Prix.
KitKat (Nestlé) · VML Czechia
What it had to solve
KitKat's 1957 slogan 'Have a break, have a KitKat' still resonates, but the modern break means more screen time — people average almost four hours a day on their phones. The brand needed to reclaim the break for a phone-obsessed world.
How it works
KitKat's 'Have a break, have a KitKat' line, created in 1957 by J. Walter Thompson copywriter Donald Gilles, defined the brand for generations. But in a world where people spend almost four hours a day on their phones, the 'break' had quietly become more scrolling. The 2025 challenge was to update the iconic slogan for a screen-obsessed society — without losing what made it work.
VML Czechia's answer was a visual metaphor so simple it needed no words: in everyday scenes — standing in line, waiting for a bus, having a drink — people hold KitKats where phones would be. The similar oblong shape does the work, gently roasting screen addiction and nudging viewers to swap the device for a chocolate break. The campaign launched in April 2025 across billboards, subway stations and print, with no text, no headline and no logo.
At Cannes Lions 2025 the work took the Outdoor Grand Prix, the Czech Republic's first Grand Prix ever, along with a Silver Lion in Print & Publishing. Outdoor jury president Keka Morelle called it a masterclass: without words or logos, a beautifully crafted image communicates the message and immediately sparks reflection.
Why it lands
- It revives a 1957 slogan without ever using it — the metaphor carries the heritage.
- One visual frame makes a behavior everyone recognizes instantly legible.
- No text or logo means the idea travels across languages and borders.
- It turns a critique of screen addiction into humor and a product cue, not a lecture.
What it did
Phone Break won the Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2025 — the Czech Republic's first-ever Grand Prix — plus a Silver Lion in Print & Publishing. The Outdoor jury called it a masterclass in wordless communication that holds up a mirror to screen addiction.
What you can take
A single visual metaphor can carry an entire strategy: no headline, no logo, no slogan — if the image makes people stop and think, the medium is the message.
Since then
The campaign is now cited as a reference case for wordless outdoor creativity; alongside its Grand Prix it took a Silver Lion in Print & Publishing the same week. VML credited it as the highlight of a Cannes week in which the network collected 63 Lions, and the images remain a benchmark in KitKat's advertising archive.
Sources
- VML and OpenMind: KitKat's Phone Break
- KitKat leverages its famous tagline and gives it a modern twist
- VML Grands and Glory at Cannes 2025
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