Nestle Turns 12 Tons of Stolen Chocolate Into a Surprising PR Win

A Truck Carrying 12 Tons of New KitKats Disappears
"Wanted a break, so they took it and ran"
Nestle's Witty Response Goes Viral
'KitKat memes' Spread as Companies Join in for PR Boost

Swiss food company Nestle experienced the theft of 410,000 units of its KitKat chocolate, but has managed to turn the incident into an unexpected marketing opportunity with a witty response.

KitKat chocolate. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on March 31 (local time), Nestle had a truck transporting chocolate stolen on March 26 while delivering products to various European countries ahead of Easter. The vehicle was carrying more than 410,000 units of its new KitKat product, weighing over 12 tons.

The stolen goods were limited-edition, race car-shaped products created to commemorate KitKat being chosen as the official chocolate of Formula 1 (F1) last year. The truck, which was supposed to deliver chocolate to several stops while traveling from a factory in central Italy to Poland, was hijacked in its entirety. Both the vehicle and the chocolate have yet to be recovered.

Despite the financial loss, Nestle responded to the incident with humor. In a statement quoting its advertising slogan, the company said, "We have always told people to 'Have a break, Have a KitKat,' but it seems someone took this message a bit too literally and decided to 'make a break with' them." Given that the event occurred right before April Fools' Day, Nestle also clarified, "This is not a prank, but a real incident."

Nestle’s response quickly went viral online, with numerous companies joining in to parody the situation and create so-called 'KitKat memes.'

An image of a passenger plane biting into a Kit Kat posted by Ryanair on social media. Ryanair X

Domino's Pizza UK account expressed sympathy but jokingly promoted a new product, saying, "We have nothing to do with it, but we're launching a new KitKat pizza." Low-cost carrier Ryanair joined the parody by posting an image of one of its planes holding a KitKat.

Charlotte FC, a U.S. professional soccer club, also referenced the incident, posting that it would be giving away approximately 413,000 KitKats at its match this Saturday.

Andrew Bloch, head of a UK PR consulting firm, called this case "a textbook example of effective PR," saying, "They succeeded in turning an unfavorable situation into a positive message."

However, while Nestle delivered the story in a lighthearted manner, it also emphasized that cargo theft is a serious crime. The company stated, "Crimes like this pose an increasing threat to businesses across the board," adding that it hopes its response will both boost brand awareness and help raise public vigilance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.