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Hello Kitty: The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon
Now in paperback, the inside story of the cartoon kitty that became a multibillion-dollar global enterprise
The only business book to offer an in-depth exploration of the Hello Kitty phenomenon, Hello Kitty tells the amazing story of how the Japanese company Sanrio bucked the odds and transformed a bulbous, all-but-featureless cartoon critter into a multibillion-dollar global business powerhouse. Readers will learn how and why the Hello Kitty brand clicked with children and adults, across cultures, and how it continues to successfully compete, internationally, with Disney and Warner Brothers. This book is packed with valuable lessons about the awesome power of branding, marketing, and licensing to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.
Ken Belson (Tokyo, Japan) covers Japanese business, economics, and government policy for the New York Times. His work has also appeared in BusinessWeek, Fortune, Bloomberg News, the International Herald Tribune, and Barron's, among others. Brian Bremner (Tokyo, Japan) currently serves as Asia Economics Editor for BusinessWeek and writes a weekly column called "Eye on Japan" for BusinessWeek Online.
The only business book to offer an in-depth exploration of the Hello Kitty phenomenon, Hello Kitty tells the amazing story of how the Japanese company Sanrio bucked the odds and transformed a bulbous, all-but-featureless cartoon critter into a multibillion-dollar global business powerhouse. Readers will learn how and why the Hello Kitty brand clicked with children and adults, across cultures, and how it continues to successfully compete, internationally, with Disney and Warner Brothers. This book is packed with valuable lessons about the awesome power of branding, marketing, and licensing to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.
Ken Belson (Tokyo, Japan) covers Japanese business, economics, and government policy for the New York Times. His work has also appeared in BusinessWeek, Fortune, Bloomberg News, the International Herald Tribune, and Barron's, among others. Brian Bremner (Tokyo, Japan) currently serves as Asia Economics Editor for BusinessWeek and writes a weekly column called "Eye on Japan" for BusinessWeek Online.
210 pages, Hardcover
First published November 26, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 27, 2011
You would be hard pressed to find anyone in the developed world who has never heard of Hello Kitty, a white cartoon cat first launched in Japan in 1974. This book is the story of how the unassuming feline went from decorating a few Japanese notebooks to becoming a worldwide phenomenon with the kind of consumer staying power envied by corporations the world over.
The story begins with the man who was responsible for Kitty's creation, the founder of her parent company, Sanrio. Tsuji had figured out that goods sold better when embellished in some way, and that it was less expensive to create his own images to use for this purpose than to license them from other companies.
When his design department first presented him with Kitty's now iconic image, he wasn't hugely impressed. But he allowed her to have a shot, and she went ahead to prove that nobody knows nothing when it comes to predicting what will catch on with the public.
And catch on Kitty did. Much of this book is devoted to discussing the factors behind that runaway success, from Sanrio's careful handling of her licensing rights to rigorous pursuit of counterfeiters. While there are some choices Sanrio has made that have clearly benefited Kitty's worldwide standing, the book also makes clear that many of the factors behind Kitty's success will remain an unrepeatable mystery.
Because significant chunks of this story revolve around a corporation, this book can be a touch on the dry side at times. But in between the marketing lessons are some intriguing discussions of Kitty's sociological implications. Part of her success stands from her ability to cross age boundaries, providing images of sweetness and comfort to young children, coolness to teens, and nostalgia and whimsy to adult women ready to pass the Kitty torch onto their own new daughters.
Despite her widespread appeal, however, Kitty also has her fair share of dectractors, including feminists who consider her a disturbingly infantalizing influence on women and read a great deal of significance into her lack of a mouth. In a fascinating chapter on Kitty Gone Bad and those who have co-oped the cat for their own nefarious purposes, Kitty has been given voice by those who think what she might want to say is, "Get this fucking bow off my head."
I'm not sure how I managed to escape Kitty culture as a child - perhaps because I'd already given my heart to Snoopy by the time she landed on our shores in 1976. Whatever the reason, I found this book interesting despite my lack of personal Kitty obsession.
The story begins with the man who was responsible for Kitty's creation, the founder of her parent company, Sanrio. Tsuji had figured out that goods sold better when embellished in some way, and that it was less expensive to create his own images to use for this purpose than to license them from other companies.
When his design department first presented him with Kitty's now iconic image, he wasn't hugely impressed. But he allowed her to have a shot, and she went ahead to prove that nobody knows nothing when it comes to predicting what will catch on with the public.
And catch on Kitty did. Much of this book is devoted to discussing the factors behind that runaway success, from Sanrio's careful handling of her licensing rights to rigorous pursuit of counterfeiters. While there are some choices Sanrio has made that have clearly benefited Kitty's worldwide standing, the book also makes clear that many of the factors behind Kitty's success will remain an unrepeatable mystery.
Because significant chunks of this story revolve around a corporation, this book can be a touch on the dry side at times. But in between the marketing lessons are some intriguing discussions of Kitty's sociological implications. Part of her success stands from her ability to cross age boundaries, providing images of sweetness and comfort to young children, coolness to teens, and nostalgia and whimsy to adult women ready to pass the Kitty torch onto their own new daughters.
Despite her widespread appeal, however, Kitty also has her fair share of dectractors, including feminists who consider her a disturbingly infantalizing influence on women and read a great deal of significance into her lack of a mouth. In a fascinating chapter on Kitty Gone Bad and those who have co-oped the cat for their own nefarious purposes, Kitty has been given voice by those who think what she might want to say is, "Get this fucking bow off my head."
I'm not sure how I managed to escape Kitty culture as a child - perhaps because I'd already given my heart to Snoopy by the time she landed on our shores in 1976. Whatever the reason, I found this book interesting despite my lack of personal Kitty obsession.
March 1, 2009
This book lied there on my boss’ desk and had been attracting me since the first time I saw it.
How come? Was it simply because of the title? Hello Kitty? Which was one of my favourite characters when I was little?
Yes…to be honest the answer is yes.I thought, what the heck is interesting about Hello Kitty to make it a billion dollar feline phenomenon?!!!Then I decided to borrow the book from my boss.
I knew he would like it that I read such a good book.Finishing the book took me more than 2 months. I’ve mentioned once that it always takes me centuries to finish a non-fiction book. Now that I’ve finished it, I owe my self to make a review of what I’ve got from the book.
The thing that impresses me most is the Kawaii culture in Japan. Kawaii means cute. So, all Japanese are into cute things, mostly the girls/women. They are attracted to cute characters such as Hello Kitty and others created by Sanrio.
This culture is so much related to their language. Their way of communication is using kanji, a series of pictograms. And, it’s also connected to Japan’s long tradition of graphic arts—manga and anime.
Thus, Japanese love using images, artistic or otherwise, to communicate.So, Sanrio is smart enough to use this Kawaii syndrome to make the business go well. These girls/women, the loyal consumers, collect all the series of Hello Kitty and other characters of Sanrio, including Snoopy of which license was bought by the company.
Yet, what makes Hello Kitty a great phenomenon?
First of all, the reason is related to the Kawaii syndrome. The next thing is that it is accepted highly in other countries. Not only those in Asia but also those in Europe or America.And, what this cat without mouth—yes, without mouth, I didn’t realise either that Hello Kitty had no mouth until I read the book and took a glance at my only Hello Kitty collection—has done to make these people love her so much?
There are many reasons. Yet, one of them is that Hello Kitty is a symbol of innocence, sentimentality and harmony. She represents kindness. And, it seems like the world needs such a character. Yet, there are more other reasons that you can find in the book.
One more thing that gave me a surprise when I read the details about this lovely cat with the pink bow on her left ear: she is British, not Japanese!She was given a name, White, Kitty White.
She was born in London on November 1, 1974 (she is three years older than me). Her parents are George and Marry. And, she had an identical twin sister named Mimmy, the difference is that she wears a yellow bow on her right ear.
Such a happy family, isn’t it? Well, there are more other details about Kitty that you can find in the book, such as about her grandparents!
Overall—even though it took me billions of centuries to finish the book—, I really enjoyed reading it. I highly appreciate the two people writing the book in such a lovely style. It’s non-fiction but their dictions were nicely flowing. I relished the book as if it were fiction.
What made me read it that long was simply because I was foolishly trapped into my own silly way of thinking: that I’m not a big fan of non-fiction.Actually, this book taught me to read more non-fictions. And I’ve promised my self to do so.
How come? Was it simply because of the title? Hello Kitty? Which was one of my favourite characters when I was little?
Yes…to be honest the answer is yes.I thought, what the heck is interesting about Hello Kitty to make it a billion dollar feline phenomenon?!!!Then I decided to borrow the book from my boss.
I knew he would like it that I read such a good book.Finishing the book took me more than 2 months. I’ve mentioned once that it always takes me centuries to finish a non-fiction book. Now that I’ve finished it, I owe my self to make a review of what I’ve got from the book.
The thing that impresses me most is the Kawaii culture in Japan. Kawaii means cute. So, all Japanese are into cute things, mostly the girls/women. They are attracted to cute characters such as Hello Kitty and others created by Sanrio.
This culture is so much related to their language. Their way of communication is using kanji, a series of pictograms. And, it’s also connected to Japan’s long tradition of graphic arts—manga and anime.
Thus, Japanese love using images, artistic or otherwise, to communicate.So, Sanrio is smart enough to use this Kawaii syndrome to make the business go well. These girls/women, the loyal consumers, collect all the series of Hello Kitty and other characters of Sanrio, including Snoopy of which license was bought by the company.
Yet, what makes Hello Kitty a great phenomenon?
First of all, the reason is related to the Kawaii syndrome. The next thing is that it is accepted highly in other countries. Not only those in Asia but also those in Europe or America.And, what this cat without mouth—yes, without mouth, I didn’t realise either that Hello Kitty had no mouth until I read the book and took a glance at my only Hello Kitty collection—has done to make these people love her so much?
There are many reasons. Yet, one of them is that Hello Kitty is a symbol of innocence, sentimentality and harmony. She represents kindness. And, it seems like the world needs such a character. Yet, there are more other reasons that you can find in the book.
One more thing that gave me a surprise when I read the details about this lovely cat with the pink bow on her left ear: she is British, not Japanese!She was given a name, White, Kitty White.
She was born in London on November 1, 1974 (she is three years older than me). Her parents are George and Marry. And, she had an identical twin sister named Mimmy, the difference is that she wears a yellow bow on her right ear.
Such a happy family, isn’t it? Well, there are more other details about Kitty that you can find in the book, such as about her grandparents!
Overall—even though it took me billions of centuries to finish the book—, I really enjoyed reading it. I highly appreciate the two people writing the book in such a lovely style. It’s non-fiction but their dictions were nicely flowing. I relished the book as if it were fiction.
What made me read it that long was simply because I was foolishly trapped into my own silly way of thinking: that I’m not a big fan of non-fiction.Actually, this book taught me to read more non-fictions. And I’ve promised my self to do so.
April 15, 2009
Viva Kitty-chan forever, Sanrio is brill!! Too bad this book is not so much about clear marketing strategies, wandering around the topic in a historical way so far, 1/2 way through and not impressed and glad I got it on interlibrary loan before buying it, as with so many books about marketing and business, it's hit/miss...
June 12, 2017
I got wind of the Hello Kitty character in the very early days. I was obsessed with Japan (and still kind of am). The advertising and cultural bent throughout all of Japan is kawaii so, naturally, the fascination with the character that rose above all the others (there are hundreds for dozens of businesses and products) and sustained is well studied. I have been meaning to get this book for years and never got around to it until now. Sadly, it seemed a bit dated in the cut off of historical data. I believe it was nearly 14 years since published and felt it reached an expiration date on a lot of the empirical data. The book starts out strong with the context and analysis of the famous cat however, it goes 'off the rails' a few times and gets into unrelated subject matter like a murder of a hostess dancer with remains found in the Hello Kitty head and manga. The book did not impart any great revelations or secrets not well known so for that I cannot recommend this unless you have a moderate to greater interest in Hello Kitty.
March 21, 2015
This wasn't the non-fiction Hello Kitty book I wanted, but it's close enough. The one I wanted they didn't have at the library. I found it while browsing the card catalog, waiting for the computers to be up and running.
I don't usually read non-fiction unless it's a memoir, so this took some effort. The chapters are long, even though there's only 8. But each one is broken down into sections, making it easier to read.
I've loved Hello Kitty since 1976. I got an eraser from a friend as a parting gift before I started high school. So, HK brings back happier times for me. I have a lot of stuff, but not as much as some celebrities do.
This wasn't a typical non-fiction book about a business, not text book like or "dry." It was humorous at times. It doesn't use too much industry or technical jargon, as it gets into things like marketing strategies, political/economic climate of a country, licensing laws, etc.
It was very enlightening reading about the Hello Kitty haters too. I wasn't aware of the gruesome HK murder in 1999, which is a good thing in a way. There was also a character called Hell Kitty that an artist created. But the book didn't say that Sanrio did anything about it, or that they could in the first place.
The book also talks about other brands or trademarks, and how some survived and others didn't.....as well as the possible reasons behind it. One of these is that Smiley Face from the 1970's. That didn't last long. They also mention Disney, Warner Brothers, and Peanut's characters, and their influence on the founder of Hello Kitty.
The book touches on emotional connections people make with a brand or image as well, like how the New Coke failed badly in the 1980's.
The only thing I didn't like was the endnotes. Footnotes would have been more convenient. I never felt like flipping to the end of the chapter to see what the note refers to. Too much time to do that.
I do want to re-read parts of this book, as it has a LOT of info in it to absorb. They also talk about the founder himself, Japanese culture regarding images, "cute" stuff, and the long history and influence of manga and anime.
For those of you who missed it, Sanrio made the announcement last year (her 40th anniversary) that Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's supposed to be a little girl, a British girl. But she has WHISKERS, POINTY EARS, and a TAIL! I don't care what Sanrio says. She's a CAT! An anthropomorphized (sp?) CAT. Just like Mickey Mouse is a mouse, Winnie the Pooh is a bear, etc. Sanrio said she's the "personification of a cat." She's a kitty, I say. And her NAME is KITTY White, technically.
The book doesn't explain why Hello Kitty became such a success. Even the company/founder/designer doesn't know. They have/had other characters, a couple that I like and had products with them on it: My Melody and Little Twin Stars. There's another cat, Choco-Cat, but he never got even half as successful as Hello Kitty. And it's interesting that the initial reaction of Tsuji to the initial design of HK was "Not too bad." Little did he know.......
I recommend this to anyone who loves Hello Kitty, like I do.
I don't usually read non-fiction unless it's a memoir, so this took some effort. The chapters are long, even though there's only 8. But each one is broken down into sections, making it easier to read.
I've loved Hello Kitty since 1976. I got an eraser from a friend as a parting gift before I started high school. So, HK brings back happier times for me. I have a lot of stuff, but not as much as some celebrities do.
This wasn't a typical non-fiction book about a business, not text book like or "dry." It was humorous at times. It doesn't use too much industry or technical jargon, as it gets into things like marketing strategies, political/economic climate of a country, licensing laws, etc.
It was very enlightening reading about the Hello Kitty haters too. I wasn't aware of the gruesome HK murder in 1999, which is a good thing in a way. There was also a character called Hell Kitty that an artist created. But the book didn't say that Sanrio did anything about it, or that they could in the first place.
The book also talks about other brands or trademarks, and how some survived and others didn't.....as well as the possible reasons behind it. One of these is that Smiley Face from the 1970's. That didn't last long. They also mention Disney, Warner Brothers, and Peanut's characters, and their influence on the founder of Hello Kitty.
The book touches on emotional connections people make with a brand or image as well, like how the New Coke failed badly in the 1980's.
The only thing I didn't like was the endnotes. Footnotes would have been more convenient. I never felt like flipping to the end of the chapter to see what the note refers to. Too much time to do that.
I do want to re-read parts of this book, as it has a LOT of info in it to absorb. They also talk about the founder himself, Japanese culture regarding images, "cute" stuff, and the long history and influence of manga and anime.
For those of you who missed it, Sanrio made the announcement last year (her 40th anniversary) that Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's supposed to be a little girl, a British girl. But she has WHISKERS, POINTY EARS, and a TAIL! I don't care what Sanrio says. She's a CAT! An anthropomorphized (sp?) CAT. Just like Mickey Mouse is a mouse, Winnie the Pooh is a bear, etc. Sanrio said she's the "personification of a cat." She's a kitty, I say. And her NAME is KITTY White, technically.
The book doesn't explain why Hello Kitty became such a success. Even the company/founder/designer doesn't know. They have/had other characters, a couple that I like and had products with them on it: My Melody and Little Twin Stars. There's another cat, Choco-Cat, but he never got even half as successful as Hello Kitty. And it's interesting that the initial reaction of Tsuji to the initial design of HK was "Not too bad." Little did he know.......
I recommend this to anyone who loves Hello Kitty, like I do.
May 20, 2008
I found this book very interesting. It showed me another side to Hello Kitty. It was interesting to see how a 2D drawing could turn into a million dollar company. The book also talked some about the Japanese culture and the constant advertisements thrown at them daily. It was interesting to hear how the sales of a product can improve just by simple pasting the face a cat on the wrapper.
December 16, 2007
Good read on Japanese popular culture also.
November 30, 2008
can you believe this? :P
November 17, 2009
I love this book , specially because it talks about hello kitty and it's one of my favorite cartoons.I recommended to little kids.c:
November 30, 2010
Not the best writing in the world in this book. There are some typos and repetition in topics. Still, it's an interesting history of the Sanrio empire.
January 15, 2011
No real over riding message. Hello Kitty is a success but no clue is give as why and the details are just sketchy
Read
April 5, 2012nothing
Read
June 24, 2018Was hoping that this book was for Hello Kitty fans. The authors are a couple of journalists who have kids and wives who are fans. Despite enjoying the research, they themselves aren’t. If you’re interested in marketing, advertising and Hello Kitty, then this is a book for you.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews