Kwik Fit and VCCP encourage drivers to have a ‘Kwik Chat’ while waiting for their MOT
'Kwik Chats' for Kwik Fit is our new nationwide campaign encouraging motorists to use the 'dead time' of waiting for their car service to check in on a friend or family.
The campaign is rooted in research finding that 1 in 3 UK adults prefer not to talk about their mental health, with 40% of men having never spoken to anyone about it. We realised that this provided an opportunity to turn routine waiting time into a moment for genuine connection. Performing over a million MOTs and services every year across 650 centres, we saw a million chances for Kwik Fit to support mental wellbeing simply by encouraging customers to start a conversation.
Directed by Mike Upson through MindsEye in collaboration with our global content studio Girl&Bear, the hero film uses Kwik Fit’s signature deadpan humor to tackle a serious subject in a warm, approachable way. It features a technician gliding through the garage and waiting area on a mechanic's trolley, delivering a direct message to the camera about taking a moment for mental maintenance.
The campaign extends across every step of the customer journey, featuring in-centre posters, leaflets, and custom radio ads that prompt waiting customers to pick up the phone. Supported by centre-proximity billboards, social content, and £1 million in UK TV airtime awarded after winning ITV’s 'Head First' award, the message is reaching drivers nationwide.
Building on the 'Drive away happy every time' platform we've developed together over the past six years, the initiative reframes Kwik Fit's goal of keeping drivers safe into a broader push for mental wellbeing.
"At Kwik Fit we are experts on car maintenance, not mental health specialists - we're simply nudging people to call someone they care about whilst we look after their car. Our nationwide footprint means we can do this at scale, and do our bit towards improving the mental wellbeing of our customers and the people they’re close to."
Tom Gentle, Head of Retail Marketing at Kwik Fit
"It’s rare you get to make work that sneaks into everyday culture and leaves people’s heads in a better state than we found them. Using comedy to tackle a subject like mental health lets us land a serious message without being heavy-handed. If we can fix a tyre and a mood at the same time, I’d call that a decent day at the office."
Dipesh Mistry, Creative Director at VCCP