‘Hello Kitty’ apparel plans brand strategy for India

‘Hello Kitty’ apparel plans brand strategy for India

Hello Kitty

BANGALORE: Sanrio Co. Ltd, the creators of the ‘Hello Kitty’ brand, have announced in Bangalore the launch of the Hello Kitty apparel collection in India through Twenty One Fashion Studio, its sole licensee and distributor in India.

TOFS is the holder of Hello Kitty license for apparels, accessories, toys and games, footwear, watches, health and beauty, bed and bath, food and beverages, and furniture for the territory of India.

The brand is planning its strategy for India. “Hello Kitty is a brand for females across all age groups. We have to be very careful about our communications so as not to isolate anybody. In other geographies, word of mouth is one of the best ways for brand communication, but we are very careful about the communications by us and our franchisees,” reiterated Sanrio Global Consumer Products President Roberto Lanzi while speaking with www.indiantelevision.com.

“We will be using online also for mass media communications, and will have an India specific Hello Kitty page on facebook. Our US facebook page has over 8 millionlikes, while the Hong Kong page has around 3 million of them,” added Lanzi.

Lanzi furter added, “We have hatcheries supplying eggs in Dubai with the Hello Kitty brand. We also have Hello Kitty bars in other countries where the cream on the cappuccino is Hello Kitty. We will study India before we decide on the strategy for India.”

The character Natasha played by Sumona Chakravarti in the Balaji tele-serial on Sony ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ sported ‘Hello Kitty’ apparel in number of episodes, as did the character Dimple Chaddha played by Parineeti Chopra in some of the scenes in the 2011 Bollywood movie ‘Ladies v/s Rick Bahl’. This was done voluntarily by the females actors who were aware about the brand, revealed TOFS CEO Muthukumar.

Hello Kitty, created in 1974, is a worldwide social icon with relevance to women of all ages, ethnicities and economic backgrounds as well as an inspiration to artists and designers. Her motto says: ‘You can never have too many friends’.

Hello Kitty products range from mass market items to high-end consumer products and rare collectibles.