“We
realised that very few people actually know the taste of a key lime pie. One of the snacks that we keep in our kitchen for late-night
coding are KitKats. And someone said: 'Hey, why don't we call the release
KitKat?'”
Excerpt from the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation) interview with Director of Android Global partnerships John
Lagerling
Google
has announced the name of their latest Mobile Operating System, Google Android
4.4 as Google KitKat, surprising many , as
we were expecting the next iteration to be Key Lime Pie as stated in “Gimme
a break: Next Android called 'KitKat'”, published September 3, 2013 10:22
AM PDT by Seth Rosenblatt, CNET News.
And
already the rumours are flying about the New Operating System as noted in the
article “Android
4.4 KitKat detailed again in new Nexus 5 photo leak”, published October 11,
2013 9:13 AM PDT by Josh Lowensohn, CNET News
set to debut on Monday October 14th 2013 or Tuesday October 15th
2013 or even by the end of the month of October 2013 along with the Google
Nexus 5 smartphone!
Now
that we’ve gotten over the surprise, new rumours have painted a fairly simple
picture of what to expect from Android 4.4 aka KitKat,
which is expected to launch on Monday October 14th 2013 as stated in
“SNACK
ON ALL THE RUMORS WE’VE HEARD ABOUT ANDROID ‘KITKAT’”, published October 9,
2013 by Andy Boxall, DigitalTrends
or Tuesday October 15th 2013 as stated in “Report:
Google Nexus 5 and Android KitKat set for 15 October”, published 10 October
2013, 11:45am By Rich Trenholm, Crave, CNET News,
allegedly the same date as a Developer Conference for the Google Nexus 5!
Even
better, there’s an advertising tie-up with Nestle KitKat that’ll see KitKat, the super tasty and crunch Chocolate
Confectionary made by Nestle, coming all dolled up in a Google Android themed
wrapper as shown in a series of photos below. In fact, the KitKat candybars will be shaped like Google
Android Man as part of the Promotion!
This
is technically the First Mobile Operating System named after an actually
existing snack, effectively a form of Product placement advertising as noted in
“Google
Goes For A KitKat, Not Key Lime Pie, In Next Android Version”, published 4
Sept 2013 by ReadWrite.
So
how did this happen? After all, based on my handy tracking chart, the next
Google Android OS was supposed to be Key Lime Pie, based on the list shown
below:
1. Cupcake
2. Donut
3. Eclair
4. Froyo
(short for frozen yoghurt)
5. Gingerbread
6. Honeycomb
7. Ice
Cream Sandwich
8. Jelly
Bean
The
story is a little clearer the closer you get to Europe, as the idea originated
with Director of Android Global partnerships John Lagerling as explained in the
article “Android KitKat
unveiled in Google surprise move”, published By Leo Kelion, Technology
reporter, BBC.
Google Android KitKat – Google
Programmers Origins in Alkali Lake
Google’s
Director of Android Global partnerships John Lagerling had decided to contact
Nestle when in late 2012, Google Engineers were having misgivings about Key
Lime Pie
Fact: Key Lime Pie is the national Dish of Florida!
So it
didn’t jive with the Californians, many of whom were just simply into KitKats. Truth be told, Googlers knew KitKats as a more common snack than Key Lime
Pie. After all, who takes out a plate and cuts a slice of Pie (of any sort, ma
Cherie!) while programming? KitKats sounds
more Google-esque and the kinda snack you’d bump into in Google’s Headquarters
confectionary dispensary!
Director
of Android Global partnerships John Lagerling agreed and called the Swiss Miss
(love that product!) Swiss Chocolatier, the brand holders of the product name. A
day and one Conference Call later, the deal was sealed in early 2013. Nestle
would produce 50 million KitKat Bars with
the new Google Android KitKat Logo
emblazoned for nineteen (19) of its markets. Those markets are as listed below:
1. UK
2. US
3. Brazil
4. India
5. Japan
6. Russia
No money changed hands, as Google gets its brand for free on Nestle KitKat wrappers most likely in exchange for Google making all searches for “Chocolate”, “Candy Bar” or a combination of both to result in searches being redirected to Nestle KitKat Website. You can even check out their advert below at their website as well as these cool pictures of the making of the Google KitKat for the year long promotion!
Their advert mocks Apple’s Johnny
Ive’s and his perfectionist slant towards Apple’s products in describing the
Nestle KitKat
Candy bar as being as perfect “confectionary perfectionary” as stated in “Nestle
mocks Apple in ‘confectionary perfectionary’ KitKat 4.4 ad”, published
September 4, 2013 by Trevor Mogg, DigitalTrends
when compared to the Apple OS.
Something tells me that Google is
gonna have a lot of fun this year with Nestle KitKat!
Google and Nestle – Twist of
Fate sealed in KitKats
What
amazes many was that the whole thing was keep secret for so long! Even in this
age of Social Networks, smartphones
and email! But their methods were simple indeed and hearken back to the days of
WWII! The true nature of the Google tie-in with Nestle was held close to the
breast of a tight-knit Team who knew the details, so faithful they were to the
Great Google Android Man!
They did this by constantly
referring to the whole project by the name Key Lime Pie ad nauseum. Thus anyone spying on their proceeding and then
proceeding to blab to the press would always refer to the new OS as Key Lime
Pie instead of the secret and true name KitKat.
It was done to the point that even the very Google staffers knew nothing else. They
only knew when the KitKat Man was placed on the front of Google’s lawn, signifying to
all Google Staffers the new name of Google Android 4.4: KitKat!
Effectively, Google Android 4.4 aka KitKat
becomes the first Operating System be it on Smartphones, Tablets or Laptops to
be branded via a Product Placement Campaign. Advantage Google and Nestle:
everyone knows and loves Nestle KitKat and their
Candy Bar, like Google Android, is globally identifiable with food and fun
times!
Google Android KitKat –
What’s the Danger in a Food-Themed Name?
The
change from “Key Lime Pie” to a branded product “KitKat” is not without risks. According to Simon
Myers, a partner at the consultancy Prophet, quote: “If your brand is hooked up
with another, you inevitably become associated with that other brand, for good
or ill. If that brand or business has some reputational issues that emerge, it
would be naive to think as a brand owner that your good name, your brand
equity, would not be affected”.
Nestle's Marketing Chief Patrice Bula was at pains to point
out that the brand association had great potential, quote: “When you try to
lead a new way of communicating and profiling a brand you always have a higher
risk than doing something much more traditional. You can go round the swimming
pool 10 times wondering if the water is cold or hot or you say: 'Let's jump.'”.
Despite this optimism, the risks are very real! Google
Android 4.4 is prone to problems typical of any Beta version of any smartphone
OS. That’ll reflect badly on Nestle’s KitKat
Candy bar. Equally, Nestle is currently facing problems as it relates to a
boycott of its products over their attempts to patent everything from water to
certain naturally occurring plant remedies means as stated in “Google
Might Have Walked Into A Nestle Boycott Problem With Android KitKat”,
published 9/04/2013 @ 9:10AM by Tim
Worstall, Contributor, Forbes.
With Google+ now a conquering success at 500 million active
users like House Lannister’s “Hear me Roar” as stated in my blog article
entitled “Google+
is expanding rapidly and is set to beat Facebook by 2016 - Batman the Dark
Knight Rises as the new Social Network King”, they’re easily becoming an
easy target.
This as they’ll get flack from BOTH anti-privacy and anti-GMO
(Genetically Modified Organisms) Groups that have an axe to grind again BOTH Google
and Nestle, now that they’re officially married! So expect protesters at their
launch of the Google Nexus 5 smartphone, which I must honestly say, intrigues
me very little, oweing to the lack of any solid facts on the device
All of this, though, we’ll find out come Monday 14th
October 2013. What’s got my interest piqued is whether or not these Android
Themed candy bars will end up coming to Jamaica. It seems only fair, as we’re
south of the United States and we do have a local Nestle representative for
their products, which many Jamaicans consume, KitKat candy bars included.
It isn’t hard to see Telecom Provider Digicel and Nestle or Nestle and Telecom Provider LIME in an advertising tie up involving redeeming KitKat Candy bar Wrappers in exchange for a new Google Android Nexus 5. So I’m hopeful that this will also be revealed here in Jamaica a few weeks after the launch, as albeit smartphone love is slowly growing, we do love KitKat and nothing gets Millenials (ages 18 to 28) more motivated than Chocolate!
In the meantime, for all the chocolate lovers drooling over
my page, check out the Nestle KitKat Website
and these cool
pictures of the making of the Google KitKat for the year long promotion!
Gimme me a Break
of that KitKat Bar!
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