Steal this: Turn AI fear into 250% more brand love 🍫
9M impressions in one week = quick growth idea gold
Give your AI a break. Seriously. 🛑
I’ve spent hours studying KitKat's "Have AI Break" campaign and couldn't stop thinking about it.
While everyone was debating whether AI would replace humans, KitKat shifted the conversation in a brilliant way.
They asked: "What if AI gets as burned out as we do?"
(and suddenly their 68-year-old slogan felt relevant again) 🍫
Inspired by research from Google DeepMind, they played on the idea that, as well as humans, tech also requires a break to perform better.
How did this campaign perform?
9 million organic impressions in week one (zero paid spend)
Shared by Google employees, university professors, and AI thought leaders
3.5 billion total organic impressions
250% increase in brand love
All from a chocolate bar reminding people of what it’s been saying since 1957:
“Have a break, have a KitKat.”
🧠 Why this "humanising technology" approach works
KitKat understood something most of us miss when positioning our services:
⏰ Ride relevance, don’t chase it – KitKat didn’t invent AI. They simply asked: “How does this trend connect to our brand story?” You can do the same with trends (remote work, AI tools, “quiet quitting”) by reframing them around your core positioning.
🤖 Humanise the machine – They made AI relatable by suggesting even robots need a break. Showing the human side of your process (your struggles, your resets, your rituals) makes your work MORE memorable and respected.
✅ Proof through action – KitKat didn't just tell AI to take breaks. They showed overworked ChatGPT needing one. Clients respect businesses that demonstrate their core message through real examples, not just repeat slogans.
✅ Stop fighting the tools - humanise them
You’ve probably had that moment when a client nervously asks:
"So… is AI going to replace you?"
Most people either panic-defend their skills or trash-talk the tech.
But KitKat proved there’s a smarter third option: make AI human.
Instead of fighting the tools disrupting your industry, reframe them.
👉 A copywriter might say: “AI can spit out 20 drafts, but even machines need a break from sounding robotic. That’s where my job begins.”
👉 A designer could frame it: “AI creates endless variations, but it needs a pause for someone with taste to choose the right one.”
Suddenly, you’re not competing with AI.
You’re the professional who understands balance. The one who brings sustainable creativity to the table.
🚀 Ideas for testing this quick growth idea
Three ways you can apply KitKat's approach:
📝 Tool Advocacy - If you use AI tools, don’t hide it. Tell clients: “This draft was AI-assisted so I could spend more time refining strategy for you.” You show efficiency and thought leadership.
🔍 Trend Hijack – Next time a new buzzword floods your industry, don’t roll your eyes. Ask: “How can I tie this back to my core message?” (A fitness coach could tie "quiet quitting" to the importance of recovery days.)
😴 Show Your Off-Switch – Share the moments you don’t work: your thinking walks, your “off” days, your reset routines. Clients value the human behind the work when they see balance fueling output.
💡 Your Friday takeaway
KitKat didn’t change its chocolate recipe.
It changed the context of its timeless message.
As freelancers and solopreneurs, we don’t always need a new service or endless hustle.
We need to:
Anchor our brand to something timeless.
Connect it to what’s trending today.
And remember that visible rest = visible confidence.
TL;DR - Stop creating new messages for every trend. The real win is positioning your existing expertise as the perfect solution to whatever everyone's already talking about.
See you next week 🚀
Sam
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