HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 4, 2026 37
OPINION & COMME NTARY
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Kyra Hartnett
Twenty2 Wallpaper
Textiles
Naugatuck, CT
nwcommunitybank.com
Chris Atiyeh
Tower Generator
Canton, CT
issue. That helped protect trust in
their supply chain and the integrity of
their products.
Lesson No. 3: Your brand is
your touchstone
The driver for any crisis response
must be your brand. Stay true to what
your customers know and love about
you, and the response will come
across as authentic.
Here's where Kit Kat excelled. If
you're Kit Kat, your brand is "Gimme a
Break. A Kit Kat break." So, it's fine to
have fun with it by saying the thieves
took "have a break too literally" in your
crisis response.
Lesson No. 4: Using humor in crisis
communications is rarely a good idea
The fact is that in most crises, the
last thing you want to lean on is humor.
Demonstrating concern and compassion
are your goals. Not generating memes.
This worked for Kit Kat because it was
a chocolate heist right before Easter.
Not an oil spill during the peak breeding
season for pelicans.
I was once called in to handle a crisis
after customers were sickened by food
from a local coffee shop. One of their
employees tried to make light of it on
Facebook with the post "Shi*t happens
and it happened to us."
It didn't go well, and I spent months
repairing the damage to their reputation.
Lesson No. 5: Lighting a fire on the
internet could result in a conflagration
It's easy to think Kit Kat has rewritten
the playbook on harnessing the internet
in a crisis. This was a unique moment
that the company seized well.
But don't be fooled, memes can, and
often do, get out of control. Be careful
what you wish for. Virality may not be
your friend.
Ask Burger King UK about that. To
honor International Women's Day and
encourage more women to become
chefs, they launched a social media
campaign with the phrase "Women
belong in the kitchen."
The viral firestorm of sexist backlash
drowned out the message and gener-
ated tremendous antipathy toward
the company.
The bottom line is this: This was a
rare and wonderful moment for Kit Kat,
and they used it well. They reminded us
that when a crisis hits, it's critical to take
immediate control of the narrative and
use your brand as your North Star.
And when it's all over, I'd add that you
should give yourself a break. Maybe
even a Kit Kat break.
Andrea Obston is the president of
Andrea Obston Marketing Communica-
tions in Connecticut.
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