The heavily publicised two-week campaign, in the style of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, offered a chance to win a place in the Big Brother house. Rules allowed ticket finders to pass on or sell their ticket on to anyone of their choice.
The campaign was supported through TV, press and poster advertising as well as being mentioned on the show and the wave of PR it created in the national media.
Considering the nature of the Big Brother show, some thought the partnership was too risque for a reputable brand owner such as Nestle to be involved with.
However, by aligning activities, Kit Kat was able to target a youth audience, Big Brother was able to reach large numbers of people and both were able to attract new consumers and create a lot of noise with the push. Enabling ticket holders to pass on or sell their tickets created even more publicity, with Ebay auctions being flagged up and newspapers offering thousands of pounds for tickets. Blogs were also set up, and the desperation was so great to win that it drove 20 people to claim they had lost their ticket, had it stolen or even eaten by a pet.
The subsequent housemate selection has, of course, since come in for unfavourable press. But for me, the publicity the promotion attracted, the new customers it brought in for Nestle and the amount of Kit Kat sales it must have added is enough to make it a winner.
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