A Success Story from Japan

Ok we all know the good old saying; "Think global, act local" and we also know that some major brands like McDonald's, Coca Cola, are the best implementers of that concept. No need for details.
But when it comes to Japan, the localized products sound a little bit different.
The first one is Pepsi's Cucumber flavored soft drink. Not new, but should be mentioned. Launched in 2007, tastes like melon and cucumber. Sold 4.8million bottles in a few weeks and then it was time for Pepsi to move to a new product (Blue Hawaii). Apparently that's how it goes in Japan...

The next one comes from Nestle's Kit-Kat; Soy Sauce Kit-Kat!
I researched and asked about the taste but people do not think it tastes like soy sauce but like maple syrup. However, the taste is not the most important part of our focus; the variety of the product range is the key to success...

From yubari melon and baked corn from Hokkaido island to green beans and cherries from Tohoku in northeastern Japan to yuzu fruit and red potatoes from Kyushu island at the southern-most tip of the country...

That's Nestle's strategy set 3 years ago. And since Kit Kat is now number 1 amongst brand confectioneries in Japan, its success is obvious.

Strategy set by the client's marketing team is not sufficient on the way to success though. We should also mention the brand's agency in Japan; JWT Tokyo. They won the Media Grand Prix at 2009's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival with “Kit Kat Mail”. The idea of this campaign is based on the brand name, as Kit Kat sounds in Japanese like “kitto katsu” (means ’sure I’ll win’). Thus Kit Kat Japan invented a special ‘postal parcel’ packaging with a postcard, where the address and a message can be filled. Consumers can send this ’sweet gift’ through postal mail. Delivery is free (actually it is included in the price of the bar already). Watch the case study below;

In a nutshell, Kit Kat Japan story is a great example for localization and shows clearly the importance of the synergy between the agency and the client marketing team.