Yuki Sato, Brand Manager, In-to-Home Marketing Department, Confectionery Business Division, Nestle Japan Ltd.

2026.02.19

A message of encouragement delivered through KitKat. Protecting a beloved brand

■ Profile
He joined Nestle Japan Co., Ltd. in July 2021. Since 2024, he has been in charge of KitKat's main products, including the renewal of KitKat's "Adult Sweetness" and a campaign to support students taking entrance exams. On weekends, he also plays as a candidate for the Japanese national flag football team.

KitKat has also become a popular good luck charm for students taking exams. The messages on the packaging and individual wrappers express the maker's strong desire to support those working towards their dreams and goals. We spoke to brand manager Yuki Sato about the behind-the-scenes development of the product and their strategy for maintaining the brand's value while incorporating trends in the age of social media.

■ Turning my love for sweets and passion into a job

I am currently in charge of marketing for KitKat, but I wasn't with Nestle from the beginning. Before joining the company, I worked for another snack manufacturer right after graduating from university.
During my job hunting days as a student, I studied marketing, and I had a strong desire to create new products and services. But I didn't just want to create things; I wanted to be involved in something that I truly loved. As I looked at companies that dealt with exciting things close to me, I had the chance to start my career at a confectionery manufacturer.
The reason I decided to change jobs to Nestle was because of my love for sweets and my passion for marketing. I have received KitKat snacks at important times in my life, such as when I was preparing for exams or before sports competitions, and they have always encouraged me. I was attracted to the opportunity to work with a brand I have such strong feelings for and to be in an environment where I could do sweets marketing in the Kansai region, so I joined my current team.

The joy and reward of delivering delicious food close to home

Marketing work covers a wide range of fields, but I think the unique appeal of confectionery marketing is that it's so familiar. It makes me so happy when a friend says, "I saw it in the store," or "That was delicious," or when someone searches for a product I've worked on on social media and finds a comment like, "This is the most delicious thing I've ever had!"
We also work on projects together as a team with many people both inside and outside the company, such as the annual campaign to support students taking entrance exams. There is a great sense of accomplishment when a project that many people have been involved in and that has been thoroughly prepared is released to the world and becomes a success.

■ "Black packaging means bitter?" Renewal breaks preconceptions

The confectionery industry is constantly changing, with new products appearing almost every week. It's challenging to constantly have to think up new ideas. One particularly memorable example is the relaunch of KitKat Otona no Amagasa.
The previous black packaging had been a staple for over 10 years, but sales had been sluggish. Survey results revealed that customers had the impression that black = bitter, and were therefore refraining from purchasing.
So we made a big decision. Together with our designers, we considered around 50 design proposals and even ran a campaign where people could taste the new KitKat and compare it with the classic red KitKat. By actually experiencing it, we were able to properly convey the appeal of its moderate sweetness, and sales recovered. This experience taught us the importance of constantly updating our products without being bound by stereotypes.

■Predict trends and develop new products

Starting with the classic red, KitKat offers limited-edition seasonal products centered around sweetness for adults. From winter to spring, we offer cherry blossom flavor to support students taking exams, and in summer, we collaborate with Baskin-Robbins to deliver products that customers want at that time of year.
In fact, it takes about a year of preparation before a single product can be released. This means that we must always plan our products while predicting what will be popular a year from now. What is popular today may not still be popular a year from now. I think it's important to always keep your ears open and keep up with the latest trends among young people and social media.
Nestlé also has a flavor development team with excellent skills. Each product is created through a huge amount of trial and error, including suggestions from the team.

■ Sending encouragement while maintaining brand credibility

While we take on new challenges, there is one thing we must adhere to at all costs. That is to never betray the trust our customers have in us that "KitKat is delicious." Rather than coming up with unusual flavors to create buzz, we strive to create a quality that makes customers think "this must be delicious" just by looking at the packaging, and that satisfies customers when they try it.
Another big challenge was switching from plastic to paper packaging. Handling paper with factory machinery was difficult, and things didn't go well at first. However, we continued to test and adjust the packaging many times, and finally succeeded in achieving this, in order to balance environmental friendliness with maintaining quality.
Above all, KitKat is a brand that supports people with the hope that they will "surely win." Even the messages on the individual packaging are carefully selected to ensure that they do not contain any hurtful words and that they will inspire the recipient to be more positive.

■Message to university students

Once you enter the workforce, you'll face the challenge of working with people of different generations and with different values. That's why I think it's a good idea to get in touch with the working world through internships and other means while you're still a student. Also, while job hunting can be stressful, you tend to focus on finding your strengths, but often you only realize your suitability for a job once you've actually tried it. I encourage you to take a more relaxed approach and not be too particular. Instead, I encourage you to immerse yourself in the things you love while you have the time during your student days. My own experience of devoting myself to sports and the friends I made back then are still valuable assets in my life. The experience of being passionate about something will definitely support you in the future. I encourage you to put all your effort into the things you can only do now.

Student Newspaper Online Interview January 26, 2026 Interview by Shinoda Hinano, second-year student at Tokyo Kasei University

Shinoda Hinano, second-year student at Tokyo Kasei University / Miyama Kotomi, third-year student at Dokkyo University / Nakajima Kokoro, first-year student at Kyorin University