Android Version “KitKat” Launches, Reveals Nestle Partnership

Today in strange partnerships: Google has partnered, in a no-cash-changing-hands deal, with Nestle, worldwide purveyors of the Kit Kat candy bar brand to name its new version of Android “KitKat.”  This is the first branded version of the consistently decadently-named mobile OS.  With the 50 million Android-branded Kit Kat bars being distributed by Nestle worldwide, Google will gain greater exposure in convenience stores and other impulse-buy displays, while the Kit Kat brand gains greater recognition elsewhere.  The mutually beneficial deal is said to have been agreed upon between the two companies within an hour in November.  This could signal a shift to even greater integration and innovation of brand ties for Google, making them a thought leader and trendsetter in this fairly new and under-tapped arena.