Having watched the recent programme on BBC2, ‘Made in Britain’, I was intrigued by the extent of the world-wide success of none other than our own, British brand, the Kit Kat. Not only did it swiftly become the UK’s best-selling confectionary brand only two years after its production, but it has remained there ever since. According to Nestlé, every five minutes enough Kit Kats are made to out-stack the Eiffel Tower… and Dubai eats its fair share, with 1 tonne of Kit Kats sold in their airport alone EVERY day… now that’s a lot of Kit Kats!

But what makes that small chocolate finger, wafer bar so successful? Why do we always seem to opt for the more expensive, well-known brand, when the supermarket’s own shelves have a perfectly good selection, probably with almost exactly the same taste and shape, yet for half the price? Is it really that Kit Kats have the far superior qualities for a snack bar, or is it just, simply, the reassurance we get from picking up our foil covered, bright-red-labelled, familiar Kit Kat?

I’m starting to get an inkling that the success of a brand has more of an impact on the success of the product than I first thought…

Evan Davis, the presenter of ‘Made in Britain’ confirmed this, by telling us viewers that about 80% of Kit Kat’s value was entirely in the brand. When Kit Kat was first bought from Rowntree’s by Nestlé for £2.5 billion, an estimated £2 billion of that price was the value of the brand alone! Only 20% of the overall sum paid for ‘Kit Kat’, was for the tangible assets, such as the business factories, machinery etc.

This then made me think; so what is the value of a brand? How can a design so simple, become such a triumph? At first glance, I would never have predicted the Kit Kat would have become such a success story, as its simple logo style is neither flashy, nor artistic, yet here we are, in 2011, with the same Kit Kat it has always been, and it is still the number one, best-selling confectionary brand ever.

I think it bubbles down to the fact that, if I asked my grand-parents what they associated with Kit Kat bars, it would be pretty much entirely the same for me. We all think of packed lunches, or picnics, or family outings, when the Kit Kat has been the perfect snack, as the fingers can be broken off to share (or not!) around for the whole family.

This tells me that the survival and maintenance of its brand, has therefore struck gold causing the red and white Kit Kat logo to become entrenched in our culture, a ‘household name’! Nestlé have continued to stick to their core design, (with the exception of the blue wrapping, introduced during the war, whilst rationing changed the ingredients), and as a result, Kit Kats have become an integral part of the lives of people all around the world, a constant, ensuring its fame and success.

Thanks to this continuity, by choosing a Kit Kat off the shelves we feel reassured once we’ve tucked into that same bar that we all love, and know, so well.

I think if we take the Kit Kat success story as an example to follow, the instalment of a key, memorable, yet simple brand name and logo, plus strictly maintaining its core design components, are the most crucial things for any company hoping for a successful product.

By corroding your brand, you corrode its achievements and fame, so, when trying to promote your own products, keep in mind, that whilst you may have the most brilliant item or business in the world, the value of your brand and maintaining, managing it and protecting its image, are fundamental ingredients in a flourishing business.

So, hats off to Kit Kat- they really do have the whole marketing thing under their belt!