Cannes Lions Grand Prix Spotlight: KitKat swapped smartphones for chocolate - and it was brilliant
A clever outdoor campaign from the Czech Republic reminded the world what a real break looks like - and won big at Cannes. Read and watch in our Cannes Lions Grand Prix Spotlight column.
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In a digital age where thumbs scroll faster than thoughts and eye contact is practically vintage, KitKat's "Phone Break" campaign came in like a chocolatey slap to our screen-addicted faces. And it worked.
Not only did it resonate globally - it won the Czech Republic its first-ever Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Launched in April 2025 by VML Czechia, the campaign reimagined the iconic "Have a break, have a KitKat" line - without actually saying it.
Instead, it showed it, by literally replacing smartphones with KitKats in outdoor ads. No text. No CTAs. Just deliciously awkward moments where people looked longingly at what appeared to be their phones... only they were clutching a KitKat bar.
Insight
We're all guilty of being phone zombies. Research cited by the team behind the campaign revealed that the average person spends nearly 4 hours a day on their phone. And despite being hyperconnected, most people report feeling more relaxed and recharged when they go offline. KitKat simply took this insight and ran with it - all the way to the streets, not the screens.
The Twist
In world drowning in digital campaigns, KitKat ditched digital altogether. No Instagram reels. No TikTok filters. No paid influencers. Just old-school billboards and posters.
And the irony? That analog approach cut through because it wasn't fighting for space in your feed - it confronted you IRL (in real life).
And here's the design mic-drop moment: smartphones and KitKat bars are the same shape. That simple physical similarity turned into a massive visual punchline. Because when you look at your phone 300 times a day, seeing someone fondling a KitKat like it's a device triggers something primal, "Wait... do I need a break?"
Results
Without a cent spent on digital media, "Phone Break" made noise the old-fashioned way. It was picked up by major creative publications like Muse by Clio, LBB, and Adweek, generating over 2.6 million online impressions.
More importantly, it reminded a hyperconnected world to look up - preferably while chewing chocolate.
And it made history. The Czech Republic, never before on Cannes Lions' Grand Prix scoreboard, now has its name etched among advertising's elite, thanks to this delightfully subversive twist on a 68-year old slogan.
