Kit Kat wants Aussies to melt into public transport seats with new hoodie range
Kit Kat has released a limited-edition range of “Commuter Camo hoodies” to help Australians make the most of their commuter breaks.
Prompted by Pureprofile research that found more than 80% of Australians see their commutes as periods for “me time”, and that 59% of commuters want to be invisible on their commutes, the Commuter Camo hoodie is a reversible garment designed with patterns that match those found on public transport seats.
Designed in collaboration with VML, the hoodies allow wearers to zip their jackets all the way up their face. They also feature a specially designed pocket — a ‘choc pock’ — that can be used to store Kit Kat bars with a reduced chance of them melting.
The campaign is about keeping break times sacrosanct and, according to VML creative director Jack Delmonte, the agency settled “on the logical solution… invisibility” to achieve this.
“The hoodies were inspired by the iconic seating on our public transport. From there, the question became, how else do we turn this thing into a proper invisibility cloak? And how do we make it uniquely Kit Kat?” he said.
“That’s when we started to look at features like the ‘total zip’ and insulated Kit Kat choc-pocket.”
The overall timeline, from idea to execution, had to be short to ensure the hoodies were ready in their most appropriate season — winter.
“It was around six to seven months from conception, approval, and production. Quick for clothing. We knew it had to drop in winter with its thick, covert, double-fabric design. A tight timeline meant we had one shot to refine them,” Delmonte said.
“The camouflage pattern, the zipper to conceal you completely, even an insulated pocket to keep your KitKat from melting. A lot could go wrong, but it mostly didn’t, thanks to a lot of clever people.”
But the project didn’t come without its challenges. According to Delmonte, the first sample hoodie had “a bright red zipper that didn’t blend at all”. The team also found it tricky to match the hoodies’ colours with their respective seat patterns.
“But there was so much love for this idea, even from lawyers. Everyone wanted it to succeed. And for the right reason, they wanted it for their own commute. Honestly, never have so many people come together towards a shared goal of being left alone,” he said.
While there was a point when the team considered collaborating with a fashion designer, it was ultimately decided to keep it in house.
“We backed ourselves and it was all cooked up and produced internally with VML Creatives and Designers,” Delmonte said.
“Our collaboration with Nestlé has always focused on pushing creative boundaries and delivering work that resonates deeply with people – and in the case of KITKAT, helping people embrace the iconic message, ‘have a break’,” VML ANZ chief executive officer, Thomas Tearle, said in a press release.
“This campaign wasn’t just about introducing a limited-edition hoodie—it was about addressing a powerful cultural insight: the need for Australians to reclaim their “me time” during daily commutes.”
It’s a similar sentiment that Shannon Wright, head of marketing confectionery at Nestle, echoed in the same release. But for Wright and Nestle, the hoodies are tools designed to empower their wearers in “a playful way”.
“Kit Kat’s mission is to help give Aussies better breaks. Our Kit Kat Commuter Camo Hoodies are a playful way to empower commuters to claim back their commute as break time and say, ‘no talk, just break.'”, Wright said.
The campaign has entered the market via out-of-home, social and online video channels. An emphasis has been placed on Sydney and Melbourne as the east coast cities contain the country’s busiest public transport hubs.
The Commuter Camo range is available on Kit Kat’s website.
The hoodies are not the only the notable campaign the chocolate brand has released this year. In February, it launched a body of work that elevated its “Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat” tagline with Queen’s 1984 classic I Want to Break Free.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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