KitKat has long been synonymous with the ‘break’ and its various meanings and interpretations within current culture - the water-cooler break at the office, the serendipitously unplanned break, the mental break. But one break that hasn’t been celebrated enough by brands is the break that happens every evening during the holy month of Ramadan - breaking your fast.

There are almost 2 billion Muslims in the world, and yet brands tend to ignore the most important holiday celebrated by this community. The month of Ramadan is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline, charity, generosity, and reflection. But it’s also a time of celebration and joy. The meal that happens at sundown every day of the month is called Iftar. It’s a time to gather with loved ones, crowd around the table for big meals, and exchange gifts.

Chocolate is an important part of any celebration, and as a beloved and iconic brand, KitKat had the power to bring cultural awareness to an important holiday. So to honour this important and often overlooked holiday in Canada, we created the KitKat Iftar Bar. A departure from the classic 4-finger bar, the KitKat Iftar Bar was a limited-run, extra-long 30-piece bar, designed to help celebrate a very special break - the Muslim community’s daily break at sundown during Ramadan.

Canada is home to diasporas of culture and religion, and yet national holidays and celebrations remain entirely denominational of the Christian faith. There are almost 2 million Muslims residing in Canada who, year after year, are ignored by big brands who concentrate ideas, product design, and marketing spend on holidays like Easter and Christmas.

Chocolate is an important part of any celebration, and as a beloved and iconic brand, KitKat had the power to bring cultural awareness to an important holiday.

The campaign was designed to target Muslim communities in Canada who participate in and celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, but also to start wider conversation and awareness about the traditions and meaning of the holiday.

Unlike the regular four-piece KitKat, the Iftar Bar is 30 pieces-long, designed to be enjoyed piece-by-piece each evening during Iftar. The Iftar Bar is divided into three parts, parallelling the three stages of Ramadan called Ashras (ten in Arabic). The packaging features a minimal tile pattern inspired by the minimalism in iconic geometric patterns found commonly in Islamic architecture. A calendar detail is included under the physical bar to keep track of how far along people are in their fast with each day revealed one-by-one as each piece is broken-off. The Iftar Bar also features iconography of the 30 phases of the moon inspired by the Islamic lunar calendar, showcased on the packaging sleeve as cutout moon phases that animate when the inner box is pulled out.

Community involvement was an integral part of creating and launching the Iftar Bar.

Despite no paid media or press release, the KitKat Iftar Bar went viral, with over 2 million impressions after only 7 days and overwhelmingly positive responses. Muslims celebrating Ramadan all over the world were sharing their Ramadan traditions with KitKat & the influencers on social media and engaging in conversation about what the holy month of Ramadan meant to them. We saw engaged audiences talking about how they were appreciative of the initiative and how they finally felt seen by a brand, commending KitKat on a thoughtful approach to celebrating the holy month, and voicing that this was an initiative truly reflective of an understanding of the community and their traditions.