During the peak of the holiday season — when out-of-office replies flood inboxes worldwide — KitKat and Publicis Middle East launched a first-of-its-kind campaign that transforms one of the most ignored workplace rituals into a surprising new ad space. The idea: use out-of-office auto replies as a vehicle for redeemable breaks with KitKat.
The campaign, aptly named RE: Auto Reply_Break, turns the dreaded OOO reply into a joyful ad — created entirely in ASCII art and monospaced font to bypass firewalls and render perfectly across platforms, devices, and light or dark modes. Built using only keyboard characters, the design is a nostalgic throwback to a simpler internet era. Each auto reply includes a redeemable promo code for a free KitKat via InstaShop, the region’s leading grocery app.
Rather than just sending one standard message, the campaign generated thousands of unique replies. Each message features playful, personalized “OOO scenarios” ranging from fishing trips and beachside vacations to alien invasions and cat attacks. These whimsical replies essentially become a break that keeps on giving. Because each message spreads naturally — automatically forwarded or shared — every OOO reply becomes a piece of media KitKat doesn’t have to pay for, moving from one inbox to another.
“We didn’t just find a new placement,” said Bana Salah, Creative Director at Publicis Middle East. “We discovered a media channel hidden in plain sight — one that’s personal, scalable, and used and seen by employees worldwide every single day.”
Though the campaign launched during the winter holidays, the platform remains open for every major break in the calendar year. With summer vacations approaching, KitKat now invites employees across the region to log off with an auto reply that’s actually worth reading — and worth redeeming — for the next lucky recipient.