1. Branding of Japanese Super Brand
“Hello Kitty”
By: Danish Shamsher
Roll # 68 , B1
IIPM
2. Who Am I ?
I am worth billions of dollars.
I have been given a special honorary title by
UNICEF.
I have my own theme park in Japan.
I have turned 35, but am still fresh like my day of
birth.
Google search yields more than 1.5 million results.
Ken Belson and Brian Belmner have
authored a book on me.
3. Birth of an ICON….
Sanrio, a Japanese company created the cartoon cat
Hello Kitty in 1974.
Focused on selling character–branded goods to
young people
Driven by the idea of Japanese custom of giving
gifts.
Main Business defined as “Social
Communication Gift Products”
“SMALL GIFTS, BIG SMILE”
4. The Brand Kitty….
• Physical Attributes:
– Oversized Round Face
– Two dots as eyes, Button
nose
– No mouth
– Six whiskers and red bow on left ear
• Brand Identity:
– She lives in London with her parents and twin sister
– Real Name: Kitty White
– She is in Grade 3 and Blood Type: A
– Kitty is a cheerful, warm-hearted little girl
– Loves Baking cookies
– Favorite things : Candy,
Stars, Goldfish
• Brand Personality Associations:
– Cute, Lovable,
– Mysterious, Zen-Like Quality
5. Brand Building….The
Beginning
o Carried out a consumer survey revealing the
most popular cartoon characters in Japan
o Hello Kitty given a solo launch in 1975, due
to positive response
o Started selling toys, stationery items as well as
other gift articles with pictures of hello kitty
o Affordable pricing to suit the
target customer (Girls aged
between 4 and 6)
6. Attempts to Reinvent a
Fading Brand
o Growing popularity of anime characters in Japan as well
as other countries during 1980s.
o Efforts towards broadening the target segment.
o Brand extension of Hello Kitty into: candy accessories,
clothes and electronic goods.
o Shop visits conducted to understand the consumer
expectations.
o Sober black and white Hello Kitty
design introduced for capturing the older
consumers.
7. Hello kitty –mid 1990s to
2004
• Changed the positioning of the brand. Targeted
high- school girls.
• Launched design hip products like Hello Kitty
mobile phone cases.
• Revival of the brand took pace due to the
endorsement of the brand by young Japanese
singer , Tomomi Kahara.
8. Revival of the brand
• Young women remain brand loyal. Who had been
fans in their childhood continued to buy them.
• They bought Hello Kitty merchandise (toasters,
hair curlers etc) for themselves as well as for their
children.
• Early 2000s brand became popular among
4 to 30.
9.
10. Hello Kitty Boom
• The brand became extremely popular in U.S and
some south Asian countries.
• The brand became favorite among many
Hollywood celebrities like singer Christina
Aguilera, Heidi Klum, Nicky hilton ,Ashley Judd,
etc.
• The brand becoming Hollywood Favorite
helped gain visibility .
11. Hello Kitty- a fashion
symbol
• Gained acceptance as a premium brand due to
endorsements by celebs
• Early 2000s brand reached saturation point for its
traditional products.
• Revive the brand once again by tying up with high-
end luxury items.
• Hello Kitty was used as a fashion
label by Heatherette , a fashion label
brand for spring /summer 2003.
12. Contd…
• Swarovski offered a range of Hello Kitty
merchandise like watches, jewelry, charms for
mobile phones.
• Came as a limited edition of Hello Kitty Swarovski
watches and dolls.
• It completed its 30 years on November 2004.
16. Licensing of Hello Kitty
• Licensing helped Hello Kitty brand to extend.
• Helped to feature on variety of products .
• A popular hotel chain in Japan offered Hello Kitty
–themed suites
• Launched a line of jewelry called „ Hello Kitty pink
head collection‟.
17. Contd …
• Understood the needs and preferences of the of the
target market.
• Introduced many items every year through licensing.
• Kept the brand trendy and relevant by introducing
100 new design every year.
• Protect the brand‟s image by not featuring on
alcohol, firearms, tobacco.
18. Contd…
• Used minimal advertising. The brand believed on
word-of- mouth publicity.
• Hello Kitty involved itself in co-branding by
entering into tie-up with Mc Donald‟s Corporation.
• Gave away Hello Kitty wedding dolls with every
purchase of Happy Meal.
• By early 2000s Hello Kitty was recognized
in Asia ,Europe and America.
19. What made Hello Kitty
Click ???
• Prevalence of Kawaii culture
• Simplicity of design- simple lines and very little
detail
• Mysterious character- minimalist
• The Zen connection