Why KitKat is so popular in Japan

Video Description

This is the Japanese college entrance exam that is held in the middle of January every year. And what is interesting about this period of time is that Kit Kat sales tend to spike. For a very long time, Kit Kat had no clue why. In fact, at first, this spike was only reserved in one particular region of Japan. The Kyushu (kyoo·shoo) island from December to January. Some employees of Nestle, the company behind Japanese Kit Kat, thought it may have been the students around the region who discovered the chocolate bars for its taste. While others thought it may have been the locals who enjoyed it for its unique favors around the holidays. Unable to really understand the reason or have an exact answer, the managers asked the locals and discovered the answer by talking with parents and friends of students taking the entrance exams, mainly in supermarkets. It turned out that people were buying Kit Kats in large quantities. But people in this region were not buying Kit Kats simply to eat them. Instead, they brought Kit Kat as a "good luck charm" or "charms for the students taking the entrance exams." In fact, some Japanese students were treating the candy bar like an Amulet, keeping them in their pockets or even wearing them around their neck before the exam. While another ate it before the test for good luck. You see, Kit Kat became popular in the Fukuoka region because of the local dialect. In the Fukuoka dialect, "Kitto Katto" or “Kit Kat” in japanese means "I'm sure we'll win" or "We're sure we'll win." In 1999, the head of the Kyushu (kyoo·shoo) branch of Nestlé Japan reported this and submitted a proposal to create displays for students taking entrance exams in supermarkets as well as an official campaign that was later launched. Many Japanese students said that " being supported by KitKat would be a moment of relief. Basically, it become a tool to support students and release stress, it would be a real break for the company," In 2003, they began distributing Kit Kats free of charge to hotels where students were taking exams across the country. Kit Kats were handed out to students at the front desks of over 500 hotels. In addition, in order to ease the anxiety of test takers, the Kit Kat teamed up with railway and taxi companies, post offices, and shrines to carry out support activities for test takers. Parents say that "On the day of the exam, I put a Kit Kat in my son's pocket as if praying" (according to a woman in her 50s), "I ate one in between studying or praying" (said a man in his 20s). The Kit Kat staff even received thank-you messages through various channels, thanking them for their support. Stating that "We all ate it before the match and won," and so on. Although KitKat is sold in over 100 countries around the world, Japan is the top seller, and the spontaneous Japanese phenomenon that was tied to the "exam season" is known throughout the company as KitKat’s first success story.