KitKat heist earns PR Grand Prix
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
MORE than 400,000 of your products being stolen in transit would be a PR crisis for most brands. KitKat seized the opportunity so spectacularly, however, that its response to the chocolate heist has now won the Cannes Lions PR Grand Prix.
Burson, London, and VML, London, helped the brand to flip the narrative, announcing news of the crime in a press release, then asking customers to help it to track down the stolen bars with a barcode-scanning activation.
More than two million people engaged with that, earning KitKat $224m of earned media — not to mention one verified lead that was passed to police as evidence.
“This campaign just ticked all the boxes in PR, from earned media to the simple approach of just using a press release to announce the heist, to engaging with the community online,”
said Jury President Dana Tahir, CEO, HAVAS Red, Middle East and Egypt.
“Crisis communication has always been a discipline of caution: protecting reputation, managing damage,” Tahir added.
“This year’s work changed the rules entirely. They didn’t just manage a crisis; they transformed it into a cultural moment.”
“They didn’t eliminate risk; they choreographed it… It set the new standard for when brands just trust their instinct and do the unexpected.”
There were 1,156 entries for the PR category this year, with ‘The KitKat Heist’ also bagging two Golds. Other Golds were awarded to work from the UK (2), France, Argentina and Mexico/Venezuela.
“Some of the strongest work featured brands embedding themselves authentically inside culture, celebrating tradition and protecting heritage,” Tahir said.
She also spotlighted campaigns using humour as “a gateway to very serious conversations: You don’t have to be serious to be taken seriously” — as well as work that had significant impact beyond reach metrics.
“PR is not just making headlines or earning attention. It’s changing policies,” she said.
“Campaigns that influenced legislation, shifted behaviour and held institutions accountable.”
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