ONE Asia Creative Awards
ONE Asia Creative Awards celebrates the best creative work of the year from the Asia Pacific region. Formerly known as the One Show Greater China Awards, which was founded in 2014 by The One Club for Creativity, the awards were established because of the tremendous growth and evolution of creativity in the Asia Pacific market. It presents an unparalleled level of prestige and honor for creatives, designers and innovators in the region. The awards are a fusion of culture where East meets West that brings the creativity of the region to the global stage.
Category
Best of Out of Home
Annual ID
OA25_OOH002G
Background
In the Philippines, small businesses form the backbone of the economy — comprising 99% of all registered establishments, and account for 67% of working Filipinos. But with very limited manpower at these stores, staff are often left to manage operations solo. So, when the need to take a break arises, they turn to a long-time, well-known hack: using everyday objects like umbrellas, plastic chairs, wet floor signs, or whatever long thing they can fit between door handles as makeshift barricades. A simple, ingenious break signal that every Filipino understands.
But while common and accepted, these break-time barricades are often viewed as unsightly.
KitKat took this cultural truth and created KitKat Break Bars: solid bars designed to fit across most store handles, to be used in lieu of these DIY barricades. This not only turned the bar into a functional piece for the business owners, it also turned their doorways and break time into outdoor placements for KitKat’s familiar ‘break’ message.
But while common and accepted, these break-time barricades are often viewed as unsightly.
KitKat took this cultural truth and created KitKat Break Bars: solid bars designed to fit across most store handles, to be used in lieu of these DIY barricades. This not only turned the bar into a functional piece for the business owners, it also turned their doorways and break time into outdoor placements for KitKat’s familiar ‘break’ message.
Creative Idea
Rather than spend on traditional, crowded out of home placements, KitKat discovered an untapped outdoor media space unique to the brand.
When workers at understaffed small businesses go on quick breaks, they turn to a long-time, well-known hack: using everyday objects like umbrellas, plastic chairs, wet floor signs, or whatever long thing they can fit between door handles as makeshift barricades. A simple, ingenious break signal that every Filipino understands.
KitKat took this cultural truth and created KitKat Break Bars: big, wooden bars designed to fit across most store door-handles, to be used instead of these DIY barricades. We partnered with dozens of stores in key high traffic locations across Metro-Manila creating dozens of new placements, for just 1/20th the price of a billboard.
This not only turned the bar into a functional piece for the business owners, it also turned their doorways and break times into “outdoor placements” for KitKat.
When workers at understaffed small businesses go on quick breaks, they turn to a long-time, well-known hack: using everyday objects like umbrellas, plastic chairs, wet floor signs, or whatever long thing they can fit between door handles as makeshift barricades. A simple, ingenious break signal that every Filipino understands.
KitKat took this cultural truth and created KitKat Break Bars: big, wooden bars designed to fit across most store door-handles, to be used instead of these DIY barricades. We partnered with dozens of stores in key high traffic locations across Metro-Manila creating dozens of new placements, for just 1/20th the price of a billboard.
This not only turned the bar into a functional piece for the business owners, it also turned their doorways and break times into “outdoor placements” for KitKat.
Insights & Strategy
For years, KitKat has positioned itself as the go-to break snack — primarily targeting office workers and students. But in the Philippines, a massive group has been overlooked: the everyday employees of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which make-up over 67% of the total workforce.
Such employees are often offline during work hours as they’re barred from using devices while working, making this massive untapped segment hard to reach online during the day.
So KitKat engaged this untapped market in a meaningful way: by literally turning the well-known KitKat finger into a visual cue, mirroring the age-old Filipino small business practice of block the store doors with DIY barricades during break time.
The brand identified high-traffic locations and partnered with Filipino-owned small shops in major cities near areas where KitKat was sold. These Break Bars were then distributed to these establishments, enabling store crew to enjoy their breaks and simultaneously reminding their customers that if stores deserved to take a break, perhaps they should have one as well.
By tapping into this cultural truth, the brand turned doorways into outdoor placements for KitKat—creating relevance for the brand and embedding it into the everyday Filipino breaks.
Such employees are often offline during work hours as they’re barred from using devices while working, making this massive untapped segment hard to reach online during the day.
So KitKat engaged this untapped market in a meaningful way: by literally turning the well-known KitKat finger into a visual cue, mirroring the age-old Filipino small business practice of block the store doors with DIY barricades during break time.
The brand identified high-traffic locations and partnered with Filipino-owned small shops in major cities near areas where KitKat was sold. These Break Bars were then distributed to these establishments, enabling store crew to enjoy their breaks and simultaneously reminding their customers that if stores deserved to take a break, perhaps they should have one as well.
By tapping into this cultural truth, the brand turned doorways into outdoor placements for KitKat—creating relevance for the brand and embedding it into the everyday Filipino breaks.
Execution
The brand drew inspiration from the distinctly Filipino habit of using every objects as makeshift barricades to block store doors while on break. For a brand built on breaks, this was an opportunity for KitKat not to just acknowledge this habit, but to become part of it.
So we created the KitKat Break Bar – a functional barricade designed to look exactly like the iconic KitKat finger. Crafted from layered plywood and laser-cut acrylic, it’s sturdy enough to hold a door shut, yet cheeky enough to turn heads and spark conversations.
Brand representatives visited high-traffic locations across Metro Manila & nearby provinces to directly partner with small store owners. Participating businesses were given free Break Bars & some were offered to have their stores promoted on KitKat’s social media channels in return.
By turning an old-age small business practice of using door barricades into an outdoor media, KitKat was able to save 95% in media cost and sparking online conversations about how everyone deserves a break.
The Break Bar continues to expand its reach – further cementing how KitKat represented breaks.
So we created the KitKat Break Bar – a functional barricade designed to look exactly like the iconic KitKat finger. Crafted from layered plywood and laser-cut acrylic, it’s sturdy enough to hold a door shut, yet cheeky enough to turn heads and spark conversations.
Brand representatives visited high-traffic locations across Metro Manila & nearby provinces to directly partner with small store owners. Participating businesses were given free Break Bars & some were offered to have their stores promoted on KitKat’s social media channels in return.
By turning an old-age small business practice of using door barricades into an outdoor media, KitKat was able to save 95% in media cost and sparking online conversations about how everyone deserves a break.
The Break Bar continues to expand its reach – further cementing how KitKat represented breaks.
Results
Beyond replacing the unsightly, makeshift barriers that MSMEs had long used to signal break time, the KitKat Break Bar transformed an everyday habit into a media moment. It turned the humble shop door — into a branded, hyper-local media space for KitKat’s ‘Have a break’ message. The Break Bar evolved KitKat from a break-time snack into a true break-time companion — embedding the brand directly into a deeply familiar Filipino routine.
The campaign sparked social buzz, with influencers & content creators sharing Break Bars spotted in their neighborhoods. Just weeks after launch in January 2025, KitKat saw a 34% surge in sales and in word-of-mouth engagement.
But the deeper impact was cultural. KitKat didn’t just advertise the idea of a break — it became part of how small businesses took one. A low-cost media solution with outsized cultural relevance.
The campaign sparked social buzz, with influencers & content creators sharing Break Bars spotted in their neighborhoods. Just weeks after launch in January 2025, KitKat saw a 34% surge in sales and in word-of-mouth engagement.
But the deeper impact was cultural. KitKat didn’t just advertise the idea of a break — it became part of how small businesses took one. A low-cost media solution with outsized cultural relevance.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 60
Best of Discipline Award
Credits
Agency
VML Manila / Makati City
PR / Marketing Agency
Greenbulb Communications / Quezon City
Client / Brand
Nestlé Philippines Inc. / Makati
Associate Creative Director
Ali Sadsad
Bern Cordora
Chief Creative Officer
Joe Dy
Executive Creative Director
Maan Bautista
APAC Chief Creative Officer
Paul Nagy
Senior Art Director
Trishia Vilarmino
Senior Copywriter
Angel Santos
Senior Strategist
Roxanne Cruz
Account Director & Awards Lead
Jerald Andres
Brand Communications Executive
Ace Victor Ballesteros
Chief Executive Officer
Golda Roldan
Client Service Division Head
Rodel Vega
Consumer Communications & Experience Head
Jayel Ladioray
Creative Traffic Coordinator
Lady Cajanding
Digital Imaging Artist
Christopher Cristobal
Head of Art
Javey Villones
Integrated Strategist
Mari Bongalon
Multimedia Editor
Angel Cabanto
PR Associate
Ruthie Mendoza
PR Director
Robyn Cortez
PR manager
Tina Jamisola
Senior Account Manager
Armand Bonifacio
Senior Brand Manager
Jin Nataniel Ong
Studio Manager
Carol Pe Benito
SVP & Business Executive Officer
Veronica Cruz
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