Nestlé deepens Google ties with deal to show that Kit Kat and YouTube stand for breaks
Nestlé is to brand YouTube on Kit Kats as part of the biggest visual revamp to the popular chocolate since its launch 80 years ago that will riff on the two brands’ deep rooted association to breaks.
It sees the words “YouTube break” replace the Kit Kat logo on over 600,000 limited edition wrappers. This forms one of 72 different types of “breaks” that feature on more than 400 limited edition designs across two and four finger variants as well as Chunky bars. Nestlé plans to produce more than 100 million of these specially designed packs throughout the course of the campaign.
Fans can also use Google's Voice Search feature. Those who speak “YouTube my break” into their phones will be served a Kit Kat video as well as the top four trending YouTube videos anytime, anywhere worldwide.
Though the brand awareness opportunities of such a deal are clear, the chocolate maker is hopeful harder KPIs like market share, rate of sale and brand penetration will also grow during the activity.
Lisa May, head of Kit Kat at Nestlé UK and Ireland, told The Drum it would use the data gleaned from the campaign to help attain a better understanding of how people consume video content.
“The way people take their breaks today is very different to how they took them in the past, he continued. “We want consumers to know that Kit Kat is still the perfect accompaniment for their break, however they want to have it. YouTube is an extremely common platform that consumers use to have a break. We want to ensure Kit Kat remains relevant and is present where our consumers are.”
The packaging stunt ties to the brand’s £10m campaign this year that is seeing it engrave the #mybreak hashtag onto 22 million Kit Kat bars this year.
The Kit Kat and YouTube tie-up builds on the bonds shared by their owners, which saw Google name its Android operating system 4.4 update ‘Kit Kat’ after the well-known brand.
Nestlé is searching for alternative ways to generate interest in the brand at a time when there are more food choices and healthier snacks vying for the coffers of shoppers. To adapt to the dynamic, the business is trying to forge a more robust approach to media planning and buying that takes on a more progressive stance in the shift to automated advertising.