Google Licenses the Name ‘KitKat’ for its Next Version of Android

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Google and Nestle have struck a deal regarding licensing the name ‘KitKat’ for Google’s next version of its Android phone. Google’s Pichai Sundarajan, senior VP overseeing Android, Chrome, and Google Apps, announced the name this morning.

On Google’s ‘about android’ page, there is an image of a Kit Kat bar with an Android themed wrapper, according to Tech Crunch. The Technology site notes that the pairing of Nestlé’s confectionary KitKat, with the technology giant Google, is an odd one. But candy and phones are about to come hand in hand along with this deal.

  

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Google explains that no money changed hands, and that the two companies are cross promoting. There is a contest along with the promotion that will “place Nexus 7 vouchers and Google Play credits in participating KitKat bars. There will also be a few actual Android shaped bars in some markets.”

John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships commented, “this is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal.” He went on to say that this was all about doing something new which was “fun and unexpected.”

The backstory to how the deal was created was cute. According to Mr. Lagerling, late night coding is accompanied by KitKat snacking. Inspired by the tastiness of the chocolate confection, someone said ‘why don’t we call the release KitKat?’ Not knowing who to turn to, the company reached out to Nestle and cold called their UK advertising agency to propose the idea. The next day Swiss Nestle had a conference call. Patrice Bula, Nestlé’s marketing chief told the BBC, “very frankly, we decided within an hour to say let’s do it.”

Google will have exposure in convenience stores and supermarkets, and Android phones will have Kit Kat written on them, generating nice brand exposure for the candy maker. Nestle will make more than 50 million Kit Kat bars with Google’s Android mascot on them.