Last Sunday, the greatest of tragedies occurred as 12 tonnes worth of KitKat products were stolen in Europe. Fans were distraught. Would this mark the great KitKat deficit that the scriptures spoke of? It was all-out societal chaos as sweet treat lovers wondered which iconic brands would be targeted next.
Thankfully, KitKat swooped in to address the heist, confirming that the robbery wouldn't affect KitKat stock. As we all breathed a sigh of relief, attention soon turned to justice. Who were these thieves, and how would they be stopped? Luckily, KitKat had an ingenious solution – enter the Stolen KitKat Tracker.
Released on 1 April, the new tracking tool understandably had some fans raising eyebrows, leading the brand 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."
The simple tracker requires you to enter your KitKat's batch code, which will determine whether yours was among the stolen 413,793. Hopefully, it comes up clean, and you can revel in the ethical consumption of your chocolate treat, but for those with a theived KitKats, instructions will be given on how to help the brand on its search for the culprits.
While the circumstances are less than ideal, KitKat's humorous approach to its misfortune has been a golden marketing opportunity. From its candid statements to its interactive search tool, the brand's response to the drama has become a collective, real-world detective story that's got the internet on its side.
For more branding news, check out Fortnum & Mason's audio-enhanced chocolate, or take a look at Divine Chocolate’s gorgeous illustrations, which show the power of storytelling.
