In today’s relentlessly connected world, one thing unites us across regions, demographics, and devices: we’re stressed. The constant hum of modern life—notifications, demands, decision overload—has consumers craving one thing above all else: joy.
As I explore in my upcoming book, The Joy Dividend, brands that truly resonate in this environment offer more than just entertainment or utility. They deliver emotional relief, whether through ease, comfort, nostalgia, or a mindful moment of pause. The result? Stronger emotional connections, better brand recall, and—yes—long-term loyalty.
One recent example for the effectiveness of this insight, is the 2025 Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards, which honored three standout TV ads that took very different routes to achieving the same outcome: joy through stress reduction.
Let’s break it down.
🥇 Deliveroo – Frictionless Joy
Deliveroo’s winning campaign is a masterclass in removing friction. The ad humorously highlights how painful and tedious mealtime decisions can be—especially when shared across a household. The solution? Deliveroo’s platform, which remembers your favorites and simplifies choices. The notion is to deliver – you guessed it – JOY. Here’s more on their recent marketing strategy.
Joy Dividend Insight: Ease and automation are emotional levers, not just tech features. Deliveroo reframes convenience as joy.
🥈 KitKat (Nestlé) – Mindful Breaks Then and Now
KitKat’s legendary tagline—“Have a break, have a KitKat”—was coined in 1958, a time when “taking a break” meant stepping away from your desk, not your digital life. Back then, stress existed, but it was quieter. No constant pings. If someone wanted to reach you, they had to find you at home.
What Nestlé has done (outside the U.S., where KitKat is marketed by Hershey) with its recent “Break Better” campaign is to remind us that in this hyper-modern context, we are busier than ever – and if we want an escape, we’d better be deliberate about it.
The campaign doesn’t just celebrate the break—it reasserts it as a necessity. In our overstimulated reality, the KitKat break becomes an act of mindfulness.
Joy Dividend Insight: The core job to be done—creating a stress-free moment—hasn’t changed. But the stakes are higher, and brands that respect that emotional context win.
🥉 Volkswagen – Nostalgia as Comfort
Volkswagen leans into nostalgia, reminding us that there’s no “wagen” (car) without the “volks” (people).
The platform puts customers at the heart of the brand with personal storytelling that humanize the brand to create a feeling of community and engagement.
VW isn’t selling just cars—they’re offering comfort in a world that often feels unpredictable. This is emotional storytelling at its best: grounded in heritage, and relevant to now.
Joy Dividend Insight: Nostalgia offers emotional safety. It calms, reassures, and roots us when the future feels uncertain.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
These three ads reflect three different paths to joy:
🟢 Deliveroo – Reducing friction to create ease
🟣 KitKat – Reclaiming the pause as mindful necessity
🔵 Volkswagen – Offering comfort through storytelling and nostalgia
What they all share is a deep understanding of the emotional “job to be done.” In a world where stress is constant, joy isn’t a luxury—it’s a strategy.