• by August 5, 2013

Amidst all the hoopla over Google Glass of late, isn’t it great when a completely nascent technology emerges and a marketer is smart enough to use to reinforce their brand promise, while newsjacking the art and technology headlines at the same time? Case in point: the new Nestle Kit Kat Break Art creative technology from JWT Singapore.

By now, we’re more than familiar with Kit Kat’s years-long “Gimme a Break” promise to its consumers.  But with a twist of creative technology, Nestlé is wiring up students with headsets that track their brainwaves while they eat a Kit Kat bar, which then generates a unique piece of art that reflects their break “state of mind.”

The “Break Art by Kit Kat” campaign, which is a traveling experience to campuses across Singapore over a seven-week period, combines an EEG neuroband, which gauges relaxation levels, and a bespoke software program that generates art from each individual's brain activity. According to JWT, students who enter the “brain booth” get to see exactly what happens to their brain after they have consumed Kit Kat and get to take home a personalized piece of art created by their own mind. They also receive a canvas tote or badge bearing their individual creations.

From a media perspective, the campaign extends to Facebook, of course. The Facebook app for the Kit Kat SG Facebook page literally puts a smile on people’s timeline breaks, where the Kit Kat Smile Maker measures a person’s smile and allows consumers to create their own Break Art at home. Consumers can also challenge their friends to a “smile off” using their webcam via a Smile Challenge.

People who share their Break Art on their Facebook timeline or participate in the Kit Kat Smile Maker or Smile Challenge earn Kit Kat dollars, which they can redeem for cool Break swag.

Taking a years-old tagline and giving it new life like this isn’t just innovative – it reminds people that taking a break for chocolate is a truly emotional state that can now be described in a whole new way.  Score one for this campaign.