Global marketing
KitKat sells a reason to bring something home
By Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
Regional flavours interest me because they change the purchase occasion, not simply the taste of the chocolate.
The interesting question about a regional KitKat is not just whether the flavour tastes good. It is who the buyer plans to give it to.
KitKat’s official Japanese regional range explicitly presents its products as souvenirs, linking varieties to places across Japan. That is a useful detail in a discussion of localisation. The product gives a traveller a way to bring something recognisably connected to a place home.
My interpretation is that the commercial opportunity sits partly in the occasion. A chocolate snack and a small gift compete for different reasons. Hunger matters to one. The recipient, presentation and meaning of the place matter much more to the other.
This is why “add a local flavour” is an incomplete lesson to take from the example. A flavour change can produce an interesting first taste while leaving the underlying reason to buy exactly where it was.
Design for the recipient as well as the buyer
If an Italian confectionery business wanted to develop a travel gift, I would start by asking who receives it. A colleague who gets one individually wrapped piece needs a different format from a host receiving a box for dinner. A traveller buying for several people has a practical division problem to solve.
The pack should make that division easy to understand. How many pieces are there? Will the product travel well under the conditions the business actually specifies? Can the recipient understand what makes it connected to the place without hearing the buyer’s entire trip story?
The answer cannot be supplied by putting a landmark on an otherwise unrelated product. The connection needs substance: an ingredient, a preparation, a producer or a credible regional association. Claims about origin should remain precise.
I would then compare the proposed pack with the things travellers already buy for the same recipient. The relevant alternative might be another confectionery box, but it could also be a small household gift. Restricting the comparison to chocolate would miss part of the decision.
Test the occasion you intend to serve
A tasting score would be useful. It would not establish that the product works as a gift. Ask prospective buyers to choose for a particular person and a realistic budget, then explain the choice. Track actual purchases by occasion where customers are willing to tell you.
The KitKat range gives me a concrete example of a brand making place relevant to purchase. It does not prove that every regional variation will sell. For another business, the question is whether the product helps someone fulfil a specific social task. “Something to take home for them” is much more actionable than “a taste consumers in this country might like”.
Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.