In Japan, KitKat isn’t just a chocolate, it’s a cultural phenomenon. There are over three hundred, yes 300, flavours of KITKAT in Japan!
How did a chocolate brand all the way from England make such an impact in Japan? Let’s get into ittt
KITKAT fully, entirely 100% embraced Japan
They didn’t come in with their global swagger, making moves to get the people to adapt to them. Nope. They decided to serve Japan, the Japanese way.
They studied Japan’s traditions, local customs, and even local nuances. And then found a way to convert all this into product and branding!
Exhibit A: Omiyage
KITKAT found two insights and played to both:
One, gift-giving is a big thing in Japan Two, omiyage or souvenirs are a very Japan thing KITKAT started positioning itself as this gift or souvenir. They made special souvenir packages with very Japanese flavours.
Result?
Locals think of KITKATs as gifts. Tourists think of KITKATs are tokens to bring back from Japan! Win win.
Exhibit B: Kitto Katto
KitKat is pronounced as Kitto Katto in Japan.
They realized that this sounds very similar to the famous Japanese saying Kitto Katsu which translates to ‘You will surely win’.
KitKat was like cool, let’s position as an actual good luck charm! 
It has legit become a norm to gift students KITKATs ahead of exams! In fact, Nestle records highest sales in Japan in January, aka the month of exams.
The good luck charm positioning goes beyond students: In 2011, after the unfortunate tsunami, people sent special KITKAT packs to each other with a message: you’ll surely recover!
The Tsunami had damaged the Sanriku Railways. When it was re-constructed, KITKAT decorated the trains, and even enabled people to use limited-edition KITKAT wrappers as tickets!
The product backs the positioning
KITKAT’s massive success in Japan is not attributed to just marketing and positioning. The whole philosophy of Japan-first reflect in their product too.
Remember the 300+ flavours I told you about? It’s not a small thing! Think about it. A global brand usually creates like a few variants local to a region. But KITKAT has a whole new product strategy in Japan. 
It’s not just flavours for the heck of it. There’s a method behind the madness of 300+ flavours!
Type A: The gourmet flavours
KITKAT collaborates with renowned chefs in Japan to create exquisite variations. A certain Chef Yasumasa Takagi alone has created over 50 KitKat flavours! Think exotic, luxe flavours, like passionfruit or strawberry cheesecake.
(Drooling? Join the club)
Type B: The limited edition flavours
Does KITKAT have a special cherry blossom flavour during spring time? 
Uhh is February running away super quickly? Am I excited about F1 coming back? Y.E.S
Type C: The Collab flavors
KITKAT does these handpicked collaborations with OG Japanese brands that make them a collector’s item! Think Pokemon, or anime, or Hello Kitty.
Each of these collabs have helped make the brand a mainstay in Japanese pop culture. 
Type D: The regional flavors
They don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach in Japan. There are flavours and packs created specifically, and exclusively, for certain towns and regions across Japan. Like the Okinawan flavour with a distinct sweet potato taste Or adzuki flavored KITKATs in Nagoya, a city famous for its adzuki-bean sandwiches Shizuoka is the city where wasabi originates. So yes, you can get your hands on a wasabi KITKAT there! Not sure how I feel about this one tho 
Not all KITKAT product experiments worked in Japan though
Like they came up with a ‘cough drop’ flavor KITKAT. The idea was this is in support of the Japanese soccer team. Fans cheer till they lose their voice, so have a cough drop flavored KITKAT. Yeaaaah that one didn’t work.
Oh and here’s the final cool KITKAT-in-Japan anecdote
The KITKAT Chocolatery.
It’s this dreamy place in Tokyo where you can go and customize your own KITKAT. The flavor, the packaging, everything. 
The end outputs look so gourmet, you might not even recognize them as a KITKAT!
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You know Michelin Stars, the fancy restaurant business, right?You might even know that Michelin Stars was started by Michelin, a tyre company.
But do you know why?
Why would a TYRE making company get into the glamorous world of fancy food?
Short answer: all this was a ploy to sell more tyres. Howww
