The year 2024 marks Hello Kitty’s golden anniversary. The last half-century has seen this iconic character blossom into a household name and a global brand. Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, has decided that this landmark year is perfect for stepping up its game in the Indian market. With the brand’s maturity and growing popularity, as well as current trends in Japanese culture, manga, and the notion of kawaii (meaning ‘extreme cuteness’), Sanrio is aggressively investing in the Indian market. In honour of this momentous milestone, it has some exciting surprises planned for its supporters.
In an exclusive interview with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Silvia Figini, Chief Operating Officer, Sanrio GmbH (EMEA, Oceania, and India) and Mister Men Limited (Worldwide) talks about the vision for brand expansion in India as an intersection between the conception of the brand and the unique Indian landscape.
- How does Hello Kitty plan to leverage the unique cultural landscape of India to enhance its brand presence?
Hello Kitty and the entire Sanrio character lineup serve a crucial role by meeting their innate desire for friendly connections and relationships. Their embodiment of positive and universal values—such as friendship and kindness—strikes a chord with today’s youth from various cultural backgrounds. While we do make subtle adaptations in styles, designs, and color palettes to cater to specific market preferences, these adjustments enhance the local appeal without compromising the fundamental essence of these beloved characters.
Investment Strategy
- Sanrio plans to make significant investments in establishing Hello Kitty’s presence in India. Could you provide insights into the scale and scope of these investments?
Sanrio’s goal is to significantly boost its business and become one of the leading intellectual properties in India. Our strategy involves creating tailored content for each target audience and utilise the most effective digital communication channels to ensure a nationwide launch. We recognise the necessity for substantial investments and are committed to doing everything correctly, step by step, without setting any predefined limits on our resources.
- What key areas will these investments primarily focus on, concerning marketing, distribution, product development and so on?
To stay relevant with our consumers, we plan to reach them where they are and on the platforms that matter most. Following this, Sanrio is heavily investing in content creation, ensuring it has the assets to engage effectively with its audience. Our investments in localisation include dubbing our YouTube content and launching dedicated accounts. We will start with Hindi and expand to Tamil and Telugu channels in 2025. Additionally, we are opening a new Instagram account, ‘HELLO KITTY INDIA,’ to connect with young adults and millennial fans through posts and stories about the brand and its collaborations. Our investment areas also encompass events planned throughout 2024 to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, ensuring a comprehensive engagement strategy across multiple touchpoints.
|
Product Portfolio · Apparel: Hello Kitty has transformed into a fashion icon, following collaborations with renowned brands like Balenciaga, Chloe, Adidas, and Nike. Apparel is a major focus, and these partnerships elevate Hello Kitty’s style quotient. · Other Categories: Beyond apparel, Sanrio’s product lines include toys, stationery, and back-to-school items. These diverse offerings cater to various consumer preferences. · Collaborations and Aspirational Products: Sanrio collaborates with mid-to-high-end retailers and key licensees. Its goal is to create aspirational products that resonate with a broad age spectrum, from infants to teenage girls and young adults. · Style Guides: Sanrio provides detailed style guides to licensees, offering inspiration for product design. With over 50 style guides produced annually, licensees have a rich repository to draw from. All products undergo final approval by Sanrio’s offices to ensure they meet quality standards and brand guidelines. · Indian Market Focus: To better serve Indian consumers, Sanrio is developing dedicated style guides. While Hello Kitty’s core essence remains unchanged, these guides incorporate colours and elements relevant to the local audience. |
Expansion Plans
- What strategic activations does Sanrio have in the pipeline to boost retail sales in India?
Sanrio’s products are already available in India through both online marketplaces and physical stores because of its strong portfolio of licensees. It is signing numerous contracts with brands and top Indian retailers are developing Hello Kitty collections. Consequently, later this year, not only will products be available widely, but we will also launch events and initiatives.
Starting in August, Hello Kitty products will be available in major retailers across multiple categories. We are expecting November to be a particularly exciting month for us as we celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday with special events and promotions. This period will mark a significant expansion of our presence in the Indian market, reinforcing our commitment to engaging with local consumers.
- Can you share any innovative marketing or promotional strategies Hello Kitty plans to deploy in the Indian market?
Sanrio is active in the entertainment industry, extending its brand values through themed restaurants and cafés. These locations provide spaces where people can gather, socialise, and immerse themselves in the Hello Kitty brand. Friendship and spending time together are core values of Hello Kitty, and having dedicated venues for these interactions is crucial.
For example, when Primark launched its latest Hello Kitty collection in March, it supported this activation by opening temporary Hello Kitty cafés in five of its UK stores. Another noteworthy example is the Somerset’s Cute Exhibition in London. This exhibition showcased a wide array of Hello Kitty products, ranging from small gifts and plushies to kitchen tools, appliances, apparel, and stationery. It also featured a customised café where people queued for hours to enjoy a coffee, highlighting the strong attraction and engagement Hello Kitty can generate.
Sanrio aims to replicate this success in India by creating similar immersive experiences, ensuring that the brand’s presence is felt not just through products, but also through memorable social interactions.
Synergies with Dream Theatre
- How does the collaboration with Dream Theatre contribute to Hello Kitty’s entry into the Indian market?
While Sanrio aims to establish a strong presence in the Indian market, the company recognises the importance of proceeding thoughtfully and gaining a deep understanding of the country and its unique requirements. To facilitate this, Sanrio has appointed Dream Theatre as its local agent to help bridge the gap between Sanrio, local retailers, and consumers.
As our local agent, Dream Theatre will support Sanrio in connecting with select companies and organising initiatives that resonate with the local audience. Leveraging their knowledge of the Indian market, Sanrio’s strategy and experience will allow us to create a meaningful and robust presence in India.
Therefore, Dream Theatre plays a crucial role by connecting Sanrio with the right companies and guiding the implementation of culturally relevant initiatives. Their expertise ensures that Sanrio’s strategies are effective, fostering a strong and meaningful presence in India.
Consumer Engagement & Experience
- How does Hello Kitty plan to engage with Indian consumers on both digital and offline platforms?
Our primary objective is to ensure that consumers fully understand and connect with the values that our characters represent. When someone purchases a character, we want them to appreciate its significance. To achieve this, we plan to utilise localised content on social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. By doing so, we aim to create a positive brand perception, establish impactful collaborations with key partners and build a lasting presence. These efforts take time and we are committed to allowing new generations in India to embrace Hello Kitty and our other characters at their own pace. Through this deep connection, we hope to see Hello Kitty become a beloved icon in India, just as it has in other parts of the world.
- Will there be any experiential activations or events to deepen the connection with the Indian audience?
Events are indeed a key area of our investments. Although I can’t disclose further details currently, we are planning activations later this year so that our fans in India can join the celebrations for Hello Kitty’s fiftieth Anniversary.
In addition to events, our long-term business plans include opening restaurants, cafés, and theme parks. However, these larger ventures, particularly theme parks, are initiatives we will consider once the brand is deeply rooted in the Indian market. Our immediate focus remains on building a strong foundation and connection with our consumers through strategic investments and localised content.
Localisation Efforts
- In what ways is Hello Kitty adapting its brand and products to resonate with the Indian cultural context?
The character’s aesthetic is simultaneously simple and strikingly original, allowing Sanrio to easily adapt her to evolving trends, different cultures, or brands. While we aim to incorporate Indian flavors, we aim to do this without altering the character itself. We will add colors and elements relevant to potential Indian fans, enhancing her appeal locally.
Hello Kitty’s charm is deeply connected to her Japanese heritage. She serves as an ambassador of Japanese tradition and the ‘kawaii’, which is the super cute aesthetic. Kawaii encompasses an essence of overwhelming adorableness, a quality that transcends age and resonates strongly, particularly with women. It is crucial for us to preserve these features along with her core values of kindness and friendship. By maintaining these elements, we ensure that Hello Kitty remains true to her roots while appealing to a broader audience in India.
Retail Expansion Strategy
- Could you outline Hello Kitty’s approach to retail expansion in India? Are there plans for standalone stores, collaborations with existing retailers, or e-commerce partnerships?
In Japan they have stores, hundreds of Sanrio shops each different from the other. Other countries rely more on licensing, Direct to Retail (DTR) sales and online platforms This blend of tradition and diverse business models will also be applied in India. Our ultimate goal is to establish Sanrio Stores, akin to those in Asia, but we recognise that achieving this milestone will require significant groundwork.
Initially, our focus will be on building brand recognition through retail channels that resonate with Indian consumers. We will then pursue direct distribution deals with major retailers. If these steps proceed as planned and the market responds favorably, we will consider the possibility of opening dedicated Sanrio Stores in the future.
Partnerships and collaborations are integral to our strategy. Throughout its history, the Hello Kitty brand has demonstrated remarkable flexibility, pioneering co-branding initiatives at a time when many licensing companies focused inwardly. This openness has resulted in a diverse array of collaborations. Our approach to co-branding emphasises rigorous product quality control and adherence to brand guidelines. Each collaboration is carefully curated to ensure that it preserves the essence of both brands while creating compelling synergies.
We prioritise partnerships with brands that share our values and a commitment to delighting our audiences. This approach not only enriches our product offerings but also strengthens Hello Kitty’s connection with fans worldwide.
- How does Sanrio plan to ensure widespread availability of Hello Kitty products across tiered cities and regions in India?
In terms of geographical strategy, our initial focus will be on targeting major cities, expanding our presence gradually thereafter. Our goal in the coming years is to deepen our engagement across broader markets and territories. To facilitate this expansion, we are actively localising our content, including plans to introduce Tamil and Telugu language adaptations.
Given the celebratory nature of this period, we are preparing a series of events and activities designed to connect with diverse audiences nationwide. This approach underscores our commitment to reaching all segments of our target demographic effectively.
Sustainability Initiatives
- Sustainability is a growing concern among consumers globally. Does Hello Kitty have any sustainability initiatives planned for its operations and products in India?
While we don’t currently have specific plans for India, sustainability remains a fundamental value at Sanrio. Our global division focuses on creating and implementing programs that support communities in need and champion environmental conservation.
Interestingly, research shows that ninety one percent of parents actively aim to instill positive sustainable habits in their children. We believe our characters can play a vital role in promoting these behaviours. Leveraging their popularity, we aspire to encourage environmental consciousness among young audiences worldwide.
Measuring Success
- What key performance indicators (KPIs) will Sanrio use to measure the success of Hello Kitty’s entry into the Indian market?
Sanrio has successfully forged emotional connections between consumers in Western countries and its brand, and now seeks to replicate this achievement in India. The primary key performance indicators (KPIs) for this endeavor will center around brand awareness and likeability among Indian consumers. It’s crucial that Indian audiences grasp the values embodied by Sanrio characters. To achieve this, the strategy involves initially positioning the brand with medium to high-end retailers, capitalising on Hello Kitty’s status as a fashion icon. This strategic approach will serve as our compass as we introduce and cultivate the brand in the Indian market. By emphasising brand awareness, likeability, and strategic positioning, we aspire to establish Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters as beloved icons in India, echoing their success in other regions of the world.
- What are the short-term and long-term goals for Hello Kitty’s growth and market penetration in India?
Sanrio operates with a long-term perspective, prioritising enduring relationships with all markets, including its ambitious goals for India. Our aim is to establish Sanrio as one of the leading brands in the country within the next 3 to 5 years. By then, we envision a strong presence across all platforms and partnerships with key retailers.
We recognise the complexities of the Indian market, which is substantial and diverse. We are committed to investing the necessary time and resources, confident that our approach will yield positive results.
Reflecting on the success of 2023 in markets where Sanrio GmbH operates and considering the universal appeal of our brand among teenagers, families, and children, we see a promising future ahead. This optimism drives our efforts to build a significant presence and meaningful connections with Indian consumers in the years to come.
Legacy & Brand Value
- How does Hello Kitty intend to uphold its legacy and core brand values while adapting to the diverse Indian market?
Hello Kitty holds a special place in the hearts of many. Her embodiment of universal values — kindness, friendship, and positivity — serves as a comforting beacon in our often-tumultuous world. As she continues to evolve, drawing in new generations of fans, her message of warmth and acceptance resonates deeply. While design adaptations may occur, the essence of Hello Kitty remains steadfast, ensuring a seamless and natural evolution.
Future Outlook
- Looking ahead, what is the vision for Hello Kitty in the Indian market five years from now?
While we cannot disclose specific revenue targets, our aspiration is to rank among the top 3 brands within the next 5 years. This goal reflects our commitment to establishing a significant and enduring presence in the market, driven by our belief in the appeal and potential of our beloved characters like Hello Kitty. Through strategic initiatives and partnerships, we aim to strengthen our brand’s position and cultivate deep connections with consumers, ensuring sustainable growth and success in the years ahead.
- Are there any plans for expanding the Hello Kitty brand beyond consumer products into entertainment or other domains in India?
We anticipate significant developments from Sanrio in India. As mentioned earlier, we are eager to apply our successful business model and leverage our experience from other markets to establish a strong presence in India. While this process will unfold over time, we are optimistic that you will begin to see initial results relatively soon.
We have exciting plans for India as we introduce our beloved characters and engage with consumers through innovative strategies and meaningful partnerships. Our commitment is to make a lasting impact and create memorable experiences for fans across the country.
