KitKat Sushi – Spoof Product or Peak Japanese?
Last year, Nestle’s brand KitKat posted a spoof product for April Fool’s Day — sushi made out of KitKats. The idea actually generated some interest in Japan and how the company has launched a pop-up store to sell sushi-lookalikes. For example, there’s a sea-urchin-inspired Uni Kit Kat, which tastes like melon and mascarpone and is wrapped in seaweed. Moreover, its release — close to Valentine’s Day — links it to the recent Japanese tradition of chocolate gift giving within the workplace. I think this is an interesting example of how product desirability varies across cultures and what may appear nonsensical to one could strike a chord in another.
Contributed by KatiePfeiffer on 05/02/2017
That is very interesting, Kathie. It also links nicely to Mansfield article about ‘imitation crab’. Just wondered what they/you meant by ‘recent’ when referring to the exchange of chocolates on Valentine’s day. This has been going on for quite a long time now; at least since the 1980s.