following its success in the united kingdom, in the 1940s kit kat was exported to canada, south africa, ireland, australia, and new zealand. in 1958, donald gilles, the executive at jwt orland, created the iconic advertising line "have a break, have a kit kat". the brand further expanded in the 1970s when rowntree created a new distribution factory in germany to meet european demand, and established agreements to distribute the brand in the us through the hershey company, and in japan through fujiya.