Brand Evolution: Hello Kitty Forever!
There are
many brands we can name that have withstood the test of time. Brands such as
Apple, Nike, Chanel, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s are everyday names that are
recognized by their products, slogans, logos, etc. One of the reasons these brands
are so successful and poplar is because they are constantly evolving and reinventing
themselves. Brand evolution is the continual process of improving a brand or
improving customers’ opinions of it as markets and fashions change. Brands in
all product categories have stiff competition, but there are those who stand
out due to their evolution with the times and the trends that allow them to
stay on the shelves for the long haul and eventually beat out the competition.
Take Hello
Kitty for example. The universal, anthropomorphic white cat produced by
Japanese company Sanrio is a classic emblem of cute in pop culture. By the time
she was 40 years old in 2014, Sanrio had groomed her into a global marketing
phenomenon worth $7 billion a year. How were they able to achieve this? Originally,
Hello Kitty was aimed at pre-adolescent females. However, since then Hello
Kitty’s market has broadened to include adults, and can be found on products
ranging from school supplies to fashion accessories to high-end consumer
products. Sanrio has worked with other well-established brands to give Hello
Kitty fresh new looks, while also strengthening her status as a cultural icon.
What started off as a cat on a coin purse has extended to make her mark on
food, airplanes, and toasters.
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Sanrio was able
to easily evolve their Hello Kitty products due to the simplicity of the Hello
Kitty design. Since Hello Kitty has
very minimal characteristics, the brand acts as a canvas upon which people can apply
their own embellishments, thereby personalizing the cartoon, giving it a unique
personality and internalizing the cartoon into their lives. This is powerful
differentiator that helps Sanrio with their brand evolution. Since evolving
your brand means staying true to your brand’s mission, while updating and
revamping various aspects so you can attract new customers, but also reminding
current customers why and how your brand is staying relevant. That is why it is so important to keep your brand up to date with the times, while also maintaining what original customers love about it.
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