Since 1935, the KitKat brand, known for its iconic red wrap and chocolate made in the form of crispy sticks, has managed not only to stand the test of time, but also to achieve great success, always moving in step with it.
Being recognized as the most famous chocolate of all time according to the “Time” magazine, KitKat chocolate bar with wafer filling easily overcame eight decades of its history in a completely different business environment, in the context of a regular change in consumer preferences, now entering the top ten global brands of consumer goods, who are recognized as leaders across the world.
What’s the Secret?
First of all, the key is in the talented use of “instant marketing” tools, the ability to quickly and efficiently navigate popular events and new products. Let’s have a brief look.
History
In September 1935, at the Rowntree’s factory in York, UK, a product called Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp first appeared. Initially, it consisted of four chocolate bars with crispy filling, combined into one tile with the size for a lunch box. The version that later became the "classic" of four chocolate bars Rowntree released on May 15, 1936, and a year later the product received the new name KitKat Chocolate Crisp.
The exact origin of the name is not confirmed yet. According to the most common version, the name is associated with the liberal political club "The Kit-Kat Club", which existed in the 18th century, named after the organizer of the club, Christopher Kat (Christopher (or Kit) Cat). The club's meeting place was Christopher's Patisserie, which sold delicious chocolate biscuits and all kinds of sweets. But what connection could exist between a waffle biscuit and a prestigious club of English gentlemen? We are probably dealing with onomatopoeia (onomatopoeia is the reflection in the phoneme of the properties of an object). The atmosphere of the club was in English “dry” and at the same time “fragile”, capable of “breaking” at any moment, like a biscuit, with a specific crunch when biting. In addition, club members loved these biscuits, which were associated with the name of the club. This is the legend of the origin of the name KitKat.
The promotion of KitKat on a global scale continued when Nestlé acquired Rowntree in 1988.
Now let’s learn more about KitKat’s nowadays digital and traditional marketing strategies and understand how KitKat is still one of the leading products in the food industry.
Partnership
One of the most memorable promotional partnerships in the history of KitKat is the Google Nestle partnership over Android Kitkat. It was a clever idea and there is a bizarre story behind this partnership. The idea was not proposed by Nestle but by Google. Kitkat was popular among the engineers who would work overnight at Google offices. Google has also named several more versions of Android on the name of treats. However, this move had its own risks because the popularity of the two products would get interrelated and if there was an issue with the Android version, it could affect the brand image of KitKat as well. However, the two companies decided to bear the risk and the plan worked. Nestle promoted bars featuring Android mascot. The campaign was at the center of debates in media for a while. Most of them hailed it as a clever move which benefited both Nestle and Google.
KitKat Goes into Space
Since 1938, KitKat has been associated with a break in work. For almost 60 years, the brand's classic motto has been the famous phrase:
Have a break, have a KitKat.
Have a break, have a KitKat.
But times are changing - and more and more people are not taking their break from work as before. For example, it is no secret to anyone how popular it has become to use minutes of rest in order to access the Internet. Aware of this trend, KitKat decided to increase its presence in the Internet space.
It all started back in 2012, when Red Bull agreed with a desperate Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner (Felix Baumgartner) to make the jump from the stratosphere, from a height of more than 38 km above the earth. The expectation tension in the network grew, and KitKat decided to morally support Felix with a funky Facebook post:
Felix may have to wait a long time ... so if there is a break, there is KitKat.
Felix may have to wait a long time ... so if there is a break, there is KitKat.
The marketing department began to come up with new playful ideas for a break for Felix and the Red Bull team, while they were waiting for the right weather. And what was their decision? Send KitKat into space! Less than 24 hours have passed from the idea to the finished script! And KitKat, together with the Go-Pro video camera, takes off from the earth and starts off into space on a meteorological probe.
The video was uploaded to YouTube and it soon spread all over Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #BreakFromGravity, receiving over 6.5 million views on Facebook and 10 million comments on Twitter. In return, Red Bull appreciated their ingenuity by tweeting: “KitKat, thanks for the support!”.
New Brand Image
The next opportunity came in early 2013, when chocolate lover Laura Ellen tweeted about her two most favorite brands:
“It’s immediately clear that I love chocolate too much, because I subscribe to KitKat and Oreo.”
“It’s immediately clear that I love chocolate too much, because I subscribe to KitKat and Oreo.”
KitKat immediately seized the opportunity and challenged Oreo to a public duel in tic-tac-toe, in which the crosses were made from KitKat sticks and the toes were made from Oreo cookies. The reward for the winner was to be Laura's preference and love.
The next morning, the cookie brand reacted with a playful tweet featuring half-bitten KitKat sticks:
Sorry, KitKat, we couldn’t resist ... #GiveOreoABreak.
Sorry, KitKat, we couldn’t resist ... #GiveOreoABreak.
Good-natured playful banter between two large manufacturers of confectionery products has attracted great attention of users of social networks and gained more than 25 million comments.
The development of the Internet has helped KitKat establish much closer contact with its customers than ever before
The development of the Internet has helped KitKat establish much closer contact with its customers than ever before
-says Anna Stewart, the Head of Marketing at KitKat.
Leading Position
KitKat continued its triumphal march on social networks and in 2014 took part in an online discussion of Apple's new product, which became known under the hashtag #bendgate, by tweeting:
We don't bend, we #break.
We don't bend, we #break.
The hashtag #bendgate began to spread on Twitter after people began to complain that their Apple iPhone 6 was bending in their pockets.
This post has been retweeted over 28,000 times, giving KitKat thousands of new subscribers and more than 10,000 favorites.
Over the past five years, we have achieved unprecedented success in digital media - and, moreover, from year to year, we maintain the pace of our progress in the Internet space. At the moment, we’re still looking for ways to further develop and expand our horizons, striving to stay ahead, in strong leadership positions. We want to give people more reasons to take a break with KitKat.
Over the past five years, we have achieved unprecedented success in digital media - and, moreover, from year to year, we maintain the pace of our progress in the Internet space. At the moment, we’re still looking for ways to further develop and expand our horizons, striving to stay ahead, in strong leadership positions. We want to give people more reasons to take a break with KitKat.
- mentioned Stewart.