SAY HELL-O, WAVE GOODBYE

14 Jul 2014 By David Fuhrmann-Lim

Hello Kitty Beer: Zen and the Art of Crass Marketing.

By Brian Bremner

In a country synonymous with manufacturing might and technological prowess, Japan’s Shintaro Tsuji is something of an oddity. The 85-year-old founder of Sanrio (8136:JP) runs a character goods licensing enterprise that in 1974 introduced the world to Hello Kitty, a moon-faced cat with a red ribbon, no mouth, and enough over-the-top cuteness to require an insulin shot. To Kitty haters—and they’re legion online—Tsuji should be charged with crimes against humanity. Yet there’s no denying Hello Kitty is one of the most bizarre marketing success stories around.

Tsuji has been called the Walt Disney of Japan, but that’s not quite right: Unlike Disney, Sanrio’s diversification efforts into film, amusement parks, television programming, and social media haven’t been nearly as successful. Sanrio, much like Disney (DIS), does excel at moving the merch…

Read the rest at Bloomberg Businessweek