The Snack that Gives Luck: KitKat

KitKats were brought over to Japan in 1973 and in 2014, they were one of the top-selling candies in the country. Since the introduction of the green tea flavor, more than 200 seasonal and regional flavors have been released in Japan. Why so many flavors? Well, it turns the candy into a limited-edition style collector's commodity creating a supply and demand with an expiration date.

Let's back up though - why are KitKats so popular in Japan? The main reason is the translation - "Kitto Katsu" is a false cognate in Japan and translates to "You will surely win" in Japanese. (In case you forgot, a false cognate is a pair of words or phrases that sound similar but have a completely different meaning. For example, the Spanish word "embarazada" looks and sounds very similar to the English word "embarrassed," but one of them means "pregnant" and the other one means "to feel uneasy or self-conscious.") So, based on the false cognate came the marketing. At some point, KitKats became the lucky charm amongst students ahead of exams and in 2005, KitKat took advantage of that: KitKat's "Lucky Charm" advertising campaign in Japan won the Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness Award in 2005. Then, in 2009, the Japan Post launched a campaign that allowed people to write messages and mail the chocolate bars from 20,00 different post offices. The custom KitKats included a space to write a message of encouragement and a spot for the stamp. These packages were so popular that they sold out within a month; as it turns out superstition is a pretty effective way to sell a product. Who knew? 

While we are on the topic of chocolate, did you know that there are health benefits to consuming chocolate? Well, really, it's the caffeine in chocolate that has health benefits. Caffeine can help with cognitive performance. It has been scientifically shown that chocolate does not help with skin (can cause breakouts) nor does it help with digestive health (can cause reflux and also can contain high concentrations of lead depending on where it was grown). So in addition to luck, KitKats may also be helping with health as well as long as they are eaten in moderation.

Circling back to brands, did you know that in other countries, American brands have a different look and even contain different flavors? Something else that is interesting to note is that sometimes products have different names when sold overseas. For example, in part of a European ad campaign, Pringles sells Pringoooals overseas. The flavors aren't any different, but the name certainly is. You may be surprised to see that common brands in the US, such as Kraft or Ruffles, have completely different looking branding and offer different products. For example, did you know that in Mexico, certain flavors of Ruffles come with hot sauce packets? Or that in the Netherlands Red Solo cups are marketed as "American Cups"?

The more you know!