Unwrapping Japan's Obsession with KitKat or the other way around

Hello or Moshi Moshi,

Are you super deep in work? Or are you just looking at your phone screen every 2 mins for no reason?

Whatever the case, it’s time for a BREAKKKKKKKKK from your daily mundane Thursday activities.

Disclaimer!

No, KIT KAT has not at all sponsored this blog! But I think, they should have...

In this blog we’re discussing: Why is Japan soo madly obsessed with KITKAT?

In Japan, KitKat isn’t just a chocolate, it’s a cultural phenomenon. There are over three hundred, yes 300, flavours of KITKAT in Japan! (crazy right)

How did a chocolate brand all the way from England make such an impact in Japan? Let’s get into it....

KITKAT fully, entirely 100% embraced Japan with its whole and sole!

They didn’t come in with their global swagger, making moves to get the people to adapt to them. Nope. They decided to serve Japan, the Japanese way.

They studied Japan’s traditions, local customs, and even local nuances. And then found a way to convert all this into product and branding! (truly a genius move, isn't it?)

Exhibit A: Omiyage

KITKAT found two insights and played to both:

One, gift-giving is a big thing in Japan Two, omiyage or souvenirs are a very Japan thing

KITKAT started positioning itself as this gift or souvenir. They made special souvenir packages with very Japanese flavours.

Result? Locals think of KITKATs as gifts. Tourists think of KITKATs are tokens to bring back from Japan! Win win.

Exhibit B: Kitto Katto

KitKat is pronounced as Kitto Katto in Japan.

They realised that this sounds very similar to the famous Japanese saying Kitto Katsu which translates to ‘You will surely win’.

KitKat was like cool, let’s position as an actual good luck charm! ?

It has legit become a norm to gift students KITKATs ahead of exams! In fact, Nestle records highest sales in Japan in January, aka the month of exams.

The good luck charm positioning goes beyond students:

• In 2011, after the unfortunate tsunami, people sent special KITKAT packs to each other with a message: you’ll surely recover!
• The Tsunami had damaged the Sanriku Railways. When it was re-constructed, KITKAT decorated the trains, and even enabled people to use limited-edition KITKAT wrappers as tickets!

The product backs the positioning ????

KITKAT’s massive success in Japan is not attributed to just marketing and positioning. The whole philosophy of Japan-first reflect in their product too.

Remember the 300+ flavours I told you about? It’s not a small thing! Think about it. A global brand usually creates like a few variants local to a region. But KITKAT has a whole new product strategy in Japan. ??

It’s not just flavours for the heck of it. There’s a method behind the madness of 300+ flavours!

Type A: The gourmet flavours

KITKAT collaborates with renowned chefs in Japan to create exquisite variations. A certain Chef Yasumasa Takagi alone has created over 50 KitKat flavours!

Think exotic, luxe flavours, like passionfruit or strawberry cheesecake.

(Drooling? Join the club)

Type B: The limited edition flavours

Does KITKAT have a special cherry blossom flavour during spring time? ??

Uhh is October running away super quickly?

Am I excited about Stranger Things coming back?

Y.E.S

Type C: The collab flavours

KITKAT does these handpicked collaborations with OG Japanese brands that make them a collector’s item! Think Pokemon, or anime, or Hello Kitty.

Each of these collabs have helped make the brand a mainstay in Japanese pop culture. ????

Type D: The regional flavours

They don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach in Japan. There are flavours and packs created specifically, and exclusively, for certain towns and regions across Japan.

• Like the Okinawan flavour with a distinct sweet potato taste
• Or adzuki flavoured KITKATs in Nagoya, a city famous for its adzuki-bean sandwiches
• Shizuoka is the city where wasabi originates. So yes, you can get your hands on a wasabi KITKAT there! Not sure how I feel about this one tho ??

Not all KITKAT product experiments worked in Japan though

Like they came up with a ‘cough drop’ flavour KITKAT. The idea was this is in support of the Japanese soccer team. Fans cheer till they lose their voice, so have a cough drop flavoured KITKAT. Yeaaaah that one didn’t work.

Oh and here’s the final cool KITKAT-in-Japan anecdote

The KITKAT Chocolatery.

It’s this dreamy place in Tokyo where you can go and customize your own KITKAT. The flavour, the packaging, everything. ??

The end outputs look so gourmet, you might not even recognise them as a KITKAT!