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Library/Campaign/KitKat: Windows Break
Grade B19 sourcesHIS-00369

KitKat: Windows Break

Campaign · 2024 · Niche

33Editable slideCertificate

KitKat's outage joke displayed about 3.8 million live views on its original X post.

KITKAT

@KITKAT · Jul 19, 2024

Time to have a break... KitKat® anyone? 🍫

82.4K1.5K
Original · KitKat / Courage Inc.

budice0

@budice0 · Jul 19, 2024

Well played

4211
Post · @budice0 on X
Time to have a break... KitKat® anyone? 🍫
@KITKAT on X
To Our Customers and Partners | CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike
KitKat Windows Break
Courage Inc.
KitKat | Windows Break
The One Club for Creativity
The Anatomy of a Viral [Branded] Post on Social Media
LinkedIn / Jordan Scheltgen
WINDOWS BREAK | Entry
Cannes Lions / LIONS The Work
Decathalon and KitKat used the CrowdStrike - Microsoft outage opportunity to do moment Marketing. Personally I loved the KitKat one - except for it's red colour which doesn't go with MS blue…
LinkedIn / Shashwat Ghosh, quoting Andrew Tindall
キットカット ブルースクリーン障害で「have a break」と一言
ASCII.jp
How Decathlon and KitKat's global outage reactive campaign hit the mark so perfectly
MARKETING-INTERACTIVE
📦 - SPF Brand Coola’s Packaging Refresh - DTC Newsletter | DTC Newsletter Jul 24, 2024
DTC Newsletter

Spread Score

How it works
Reach39Contagion35Breadth20Velocity47Longevity1833

Numbers

X seed views only; top-ten derivatives unavailable
3.8M
As of Oct 13, 2026 · X · X / KITKAT
Milestone date
Week of Jul 19, 2024
Jul 19 ’24 to Week of Jul 19, 2024
Platforms
3
Started on X
Origin
Mixed
Food & beverage

Mechanics

  • NewsjackingPrimary
  • Platform jump
  • Creator relay
  • Press loop
  • Pairing

How it spread

Trace the origin

KitKat posted a red error-screen joke during the CrowdStrike outage and replaced existing outdoor ads. Users reposted it on X, LinkedIn and meme pages; trades compared it with Decathlon's response. Its X seed displayed about 3.8 million live views.

Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Aug ’24OctDecFeb ’25AprJunOpen webXPress
Open webXPress

12 more events on this chart

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Timeline (15)

  1. July 2024

    CrowdStrike precursor · Jul 19 ’24

    CrowdStrike said a defective Falcon content update had caused an outage on Windows hosts.[1]

    To Our Customers and Partners | CrowdStrike
    Open the first post ↗

  2. @KITKAT seed · Jul 19 ’24

    KitKat posted a red error-screen joke at 13:35:27 UTC, asking people to take a break.[2]

    Time to have a break... KitKat® anyone? 🍫

  3. KitKat / Courage / Thrive Media owner response · Jul 19 ’24

    The award entry said KitKat followed social posts by replacing existing paid outdoor ads in Toronto.[3][4]

    KitKat | Windows Break
Changelogupdated Oct 16 ’26
  1. 2026-10-16Revised 3 numbers
  2. 2026-10-13Added: 15 events, 19 sources · Score 33
Origin
Mixed
Sector
Food & beverage
Region
CA
X seed views only; top-ten derivatives unavailable
3.8M
As of Oct 13, 2026 · X · X / KITKAT
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

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Instagram · 2024

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McDonald's France on Instagram: "Pour 4 ans minimum."

2.5B impressions

Anthropic (Claude): A Time and a Place

X · 2026

55
Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude. Keep thinking.

8.3B impressions

CeraVe: Michael CeraVe

TikTok · 2024

53
Guys run to this pharmacy in BK, I just saw MICHAEL CERA signing bottles!! 😳😳😳I'm a #ceravepartner, and I'm asking @CeraVe what is going ON #nyc #fyp #celebritysighting

32B impressions

Unisom: Don't Sleep on Saquon

Instagram · 2025

43
Official Unisom SleepTabs product packaging.

1.9B impressions

New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

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Aug ’24OctDecFeb ’25AprJunOpen webXPress
Open webXPress

12 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. July 2024

    CrowdStrike precursor · Jul 19 ’24

    CrowdStrike said a defective Falcon content update had caused an outage on Windows hosts.[1]

    To Our Customers and Partners | CrowdStrike
    Open the first post ↗

  2. @KITKAT seed · Jul 19 ’24

    KitKat posted a red error-screen joke at 13:35:27 UTC, asking people to take a break.[2]

    Time to have a break... KitKat® anyone? 🍫

  3. KitKat / Courage / Thrive Media owner response · Jul 19 ’24

    The award entry said KitKat followed social posts by replacing existing paid outdoor ads in Toronto.[3][4]

    KitKat | Windows Break

  1. platform jump · Jul 19 ’24

  2. milestone · Week of Jul 19, 2024

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Why it worked

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