Dive Summary:
- Google announced Tuesday that version 4.4 of its Android operating system for mobile devices will be called "KitKat," taking the name of the world-famous Nestlé candy bar.
- "This is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal," John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, said, according to a BBC report, though Nestlé will distribute 50 million chocolate bars sporting Android mascots to retailers in 19 markets, among which are the U.K., U.S., Brazil, India, Japan and Russia.
- Google reportedly reached out to Nestlé to propose the deal, which Patrice Bula, the Swiss food company's chief of marketing, indicated was then greenlit "within an hour."
Dive Insight:
Google has been naming its Android OS releases after food items since 2009, with past titles including Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. KitKat, however, marks a change in direction, appropriating an established candy brand. The deal comes with risks for Nestlé, which hopes to see KitKat launch with a warm reception and few bugs, but it's a unique marketing agreement that no one else in the world has had a chance to test out previously.
It's also worth noting that Google had originally intended to call version 4.4 "Key Lime Pie." The company changed direction, however, because "very few people actually know the taste of a key lime pie," Lagerling told the BBC.