24 hours ago, Sundar Pichai, the Head of Android division at Google, revealed that the next version of the company’s mobile operating system (OS) would indeed be called as “Android KitKat“.
We now have over 1 Billion Android activations and hope this guy in front of the building keeps that momentum going pic.twitter.com/V0VovgmObl
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) September 3, 2013
Though the Internet giant Google, for the first time, has partnered with a confectionery brand, owned by global FMCG giant Nestle, it is apparently a like-for-like cross-promotion deal. So there has been no monetary transaction for the deal that was confirmed within a matter of twenty four hours, as stated by John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships while talking to BBC.
Nestlé will produce over 50 million of those branded Kit Kat bars with the Android mascot on them in 19 countries including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, to mark the release of Android KitKat. Most Google employees apparently only learned about the news once a statue was unveiled at Google HQ. The statue? A giant Android mascot made of a Kit Kat bar.
The packs will lead the consumer to the Android KitKat site that will provide them an opportunity to win prizes including a limited number of Google Nexus 7 tablets, and credits to spend in Google Play. A small number of Android robot-shaped KitKat bars will be offered as prizes in select markets. I guess these would be like the one that is standing outside the Google HQ. Right now the site is open for countries like US, Canada and South Africa. Perhaps India will have to wait.
The PR teams at both companies have clearly been working overtime in preparation for yesterday’s surprise announcement. KitKat’s Google+ page has already received a makeover placing the chocolate-covered Android mascot front and center, but that’s not all.
The KitKat website has gotten a fresh new makeover mocking the typical landing pages we see in the tech world. It has also produced a new YouTube clip poking fun at Apple’s well-known product introduction videos. Instead of Jonathan Ive guiding you through the ins and outs of new hardware from Cupertino, we instead find “Chief Breaks Officer” Chris Catlin extolling the virtues and design principles that go into producing junk food.
“Every corner, every edge, every finger of every bar has been carefully considered and crafted to create a beautifully immersive and multi-sensory experience,” he says. “And it really does taste as good as it looks.” Parodying Apple’s presentation style isn’t exactly a novel idea these days, and some of the lines here are cringe-worthy. Still, it’s not every day you see the salvos coming from a confectionery maker — even if it’s all an obvious PR ploy.
Android KitKat is likely to debut with the new Nexus phone in the coming months.
So what do you guys think about the new Android 4.4 name – KitKat and this fun Google – Nestle partnership deal? Share your views in the comments below!
