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Hello Kitty: The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Brian Bremner (Author) "First time visitors to Japan are, in many ways, all alike, whether they come from the U.S., Germany or China..." (more)
Key Phrases: marketing theory, Hello Kitty, Hong Kong, New York (more...)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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7 new from $43.79 14 used from $39.94 2 collectible from $39.95

Formats		Amazon Price	New from	Used from
Hardcover Available from these sellers. Published November 25, 2003	Hardcover	--	$43.79	$39.94
Paperback Published December 2, 2004	Paperback	--	--	--

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A bizarre but strangely addictive read. -- Gulf Business, 17th March 2004

"...a great read with real insight into how clever marketing can find success in highly competitive markets." -- Marketing Business, March 2004

"...tells what must be one of the oddest branding success stories ever..." -- Financial Times, 29 January 2004

“If, like me, you supposed that Hello Kitty was only to be found on pencil cases and stickers…this book will make you think again.” (City to Cities, April/May 2004)

"...tells what must be one of the oddest branding success stories ever..." (Financial Times, 29 January 2004)

"...this book tells the fascinating story of this cute character [Hello Kitty] that has generated close to $1 billion in sales..." (The Chronicle (Reading), 8 January 2004)

"...a great read with real insight into how clever marketing can find success in highly competitive markets." (Marketing Business, March 2004)

“A bizarre but strangely addictive read.” (Gulf Business, 17^th March 2004)

Product Description

Hello Kitty is Japan's brilliant answer to Disney's Mickey Mouse phenomenon in the U.S. This book explains how Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, turned a cute cartoon cat into a multi-billion dollar global commodity. Hello Kitty merchandise helped Sanrio generate nearly $1 billion in revenue in 2002 partly through licensing agreements with more than 500 companies in Japan and hundreds more overseas. The distinct face of Hello Kitty is now plastered on 22,000 different products and sold in about 40 countries.

Sanrio's biggest success is its ability to create products that appeal not only to children, but women in their 20s and 30s around the world. That's why Kitty adorns not only bedspreads, backpacks and notebooks, but mobile phones, toasters and even cars. The book shows why Hello Kitty products are one of Japan's hottest exports and how Sanrio successfully globalized its “golden egg.”

In telling that story, this book shows how one company bucked the odds and turned a cute cat cartoon character into a ferocious business plan. Readers will learn about how and why the Hello Kitty brand clicked with kids and adults alike and how it continues to compete internationally with the likes of Disney and Warner Brothers.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 210 pages
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 26, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470820942
ISBN-13: 978-0470820940
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #489,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Ken Belson Page

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
First time visitors to Japan are, in many ways, all alike, whether they come from the U.S., Germany or China. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
marketing theory

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hello Kitty, Hong Kong, New York, Sanrio Inc, Los Angeles, South Korea, Beanie Babies, Beanie Baby, New Coke, Shintaro Tsuji, Hello Kith, Mickey Mouse, Sanrio Ltd, United Media, Warner Brothers, Yuko Yamaguchi, Bill Hensley, Charles Schulz, Harry Potter, Astro Boy, Bruce Giuliano, Gift Gate, Image Economy, Kitty Kitty, San Francisco

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Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 11 books:

Astro Boy (Volume 3) by Osamu Tezuka on page 45, and page 125
Through the Looking Glass (Classics Illustrated) by Lewis Carroll on page 70
Rising Sun by Michael Crichton on page 25
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic (Bk Currents) by John de Graaf in Back Matter
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll on page 70

See all 11 books this book cites

5 books cite this book:

Brand Royalty: How the Worlds Top 100 Brands Thrive & Survive by Matt Haig on page 287, and Back Matter
Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan (Contemporary Japan) by Christopher Hood on page 63, and Back Matter
Mobile Communications: Re-negotiation of the Social Sphere (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) by Rich Ling on page 78, and page 80
Brand Royalty: How the World's Top 100 Brands Thrive & Survive by Matt Haig on page 297, and Back Matter
Best Face Forward: Why Companies Must Improve Their Service Interfaces With Customers by Jeffrey F. Rayport in Back Matter

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	75% buy the item featured on this page: Hello Kitty: The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon 3.8 out of 5 stars (8)
	10% buy Hello Kitty Everywhere! 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
	6% buy Hello Kitty: Cute, Creative & Collectible (Schiffer Book for Collectors) $15.56
	5% buy Hello Kitty 2010 Engagement Calendar $16.99

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strong introduction, Weak follow-up, March 26, 2004

By	Tristan Beaulieu (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In one of the only books I've ever found attacking directly at the marketing and history of Sanrio without the usage of the cute Sanrio graphics, Belson and Bremmer give more than enough information about the roots of Sanrio, the lines, some of the reasoning for the purchasing, but miss in several other areas. They do not cover why say, Chococat is more popular than Pochacco, or where the company is going to go after the 78 year old CEO, Shintaro Tsuji, retires. Belson and Bremner sort of shrug their shoulders and don't even give us guess.

I feel as if this book could've benefitted a great deal from a better editor. In later chapters, the text began to repeat what earlier chapters had said in the same words, the footnoting system was very irritating, appearing at the end of every chapter. Not something that I want to see. The text starts to wander off into an abridged history of manga, anime, video games, Jpop, typical Japanese pop-culture stuff. If I wanted that, I could go get one of the many many Japanese pop culture books that exist. Light social commentary is put in the back, citing the web response to it.

That being said, the earlier chapters are an interesting read and it is at least worth a look. If only it didn't repeat itself so much...

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars comprehensive... almost, September 26, 2004

By	A. Gaw (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was recommended by a friend who has extensive experience in the consumer goods industry. It was an interesting read, as I'm a fan of Hello Kitty as well as a business school graduate. The authors do a good job of explaining a lot of the background regarding how Sanrio got to where it is today.

One of the things I hoped this book would answer is the question of why Sanrio would distribute its products through a mass retailer like Target. It never even came close to this issue; I'm still curious to know Sanrio's strategy with Target.

I agree with Tristan Beaulieu that the later chapters begin to repeat content from earlier chapters. I'm not sure if this is because it was written by two authors and simply wasn't integrated well enough. Also, some of the earlier chapters refer to vignettes coming later in the book, but it turns out to be a letdown when most of the story has already been revealed by its earlier reference.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Hello Kitty, July 2, 2006

By	K. Bell "professional student" (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a Hello Kitty fan you might want to know more about how it all got started. Sometimes repetitious, but still fun to read if you are a Hello Kitty fan, this book provides tons of information about Sanrio and Hello Kitty and her makers. It is an interesting story. Did you know Bill Gates tried to buy the copywrite to Hello Kitty? A fun read. Good for summer relaxing or rainy days in a blanket. It will make you love Kitty White even more (if that is possible!)!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not in depth enough and no really unifying thread
I think the authors were writing this to be used as a textbook for a business class. There was no message beyond Hello Kitty is sucessful. Read more

Published on April 20, 2005 by Sonya Carlson

3.0 out of 5 stars Great concept - poorly written.
I am a huge fan of the Sanrio company and everything it creates and I received this book for Christmas. The writing style is typical of a high school student's book report. Read more

Published on January 8, 2005 by xprismperfectx

5.0 out of 5 stars HELLO KITTY
It?s so easy to trivialize the significance of Hello Kitty?s simple iconic image. But here the authors have skillfully drafted a book that deconstructs the appeal of this... Read more

Published on April 12, 2004 by Matt Diamond

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any hello kitty lover
Im a huge hello kitty fan. This book is an excellent insite to not only the booming success of hello kitty, but japanese pop culture in general.

Published on January 29, 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Corporate Culture of Cute
The book is an interesting account of Kitty's evolution into one of the world's most recognized characters alongside Snoopy and Mickey Mouse -- and of Sanrio, the company that... Read more

Published on January 14, 2004 by eric

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