Kwik Fit wants you to check in on a mate while it checks your car

Kwik Fit is turning time spent waiting for an MOT or service into a prompt to call someone you care about. Created by VCCP, ‘Kwik Chat’ encourages drivers to use a routine garage visit to reconnect with friends and family.

The 60-second film features a technician gliding through the garage and waiting room on a mechanic’s trolley, delivering deadpan reminders to make time for a conversation.

Mike Upson directed through MindsEye, working with VCCP’s content studio Girl&Bear.

With 650 centres and more than a million MOTs and services annually, the brand has a ready-made audience with a little time to spare. Waiting-room posters, leaflets and audio ads carry the invitation beyond the TV spot.

Tom Gentle, head of retail marketing at Kwik Fit, said: “we’re simply nudging people to call someone they care about whilst we look after their car.”

VCCP creative director Dipesh Mistry added: “Using comedy to tackle a subject like mental health lets us land a serious message without being heavy-handed.”

The brand has previously sent a giant mechanical hamster around London. Here, the idea makes use of something considerably more ordinary: the garage waiting room.

Launched on 9 October, the campaign secured £1 million in commercial airtime through ITV’s Head First award and runs across TV, social and outdoor advertising.

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