Android announce KitKat OS, chocolate bars to feature Android logo

‘Have a break, have a KitKat' was part of a high profile advertising campaign in the United Kingdom for many years, but Google are taking it a stage further by naming their next Android operating system after the famous chocolate bar. The company had previously said that the upcoming OS would be called Key Lime Pie. This name fell through as apparently Google realised that not many people knew the taste of Key Lime Pie.

We would assume that this deal was discussed behind closed doors some time ago and it is certainly a huge marketing scoop for Nestle, the Swiss food maker behind the popular chocolate bar. KitKat chocolate bars will feature the android mascot on the front in a partnership deal between the two companies.

John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships spoke to the BBC and said “This is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal.”  The concept was clearly to have some fun and to do something different.

Analysts are already speaking about the potential pitfalls in partnering up so closely, as both brands will now be linked together in the minds of consumers – for good and bad.

Nestle have experienced some issues in the past. They have had to recall bags of dog food in America for instance, after a salmonella scare. They also faced criticism for their promotional activities surrounding powered baby milk in the developing world.

Previous versions of Android have been named Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (short for frozen yoghurt), Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.

Kitguru says: A good idea to name your product after a well known bar of chocolate? Google seem to think so.

Become a Patron!