As If We Need a Reason to Explain Hello Kitty's Awesome-ness

Why do some brands, like the Lacoste crocodile or Hello Kitty, take off so amazingly?
The answer to a brand's success is different every time. One thing many gurus ignore is how culture and business change—there is no such thing as a five-point plan for making a brand take off.

Consider Hello Kitty, which is an example I use in the book at some length. Some three decades ago, this mouthless, cute cat symbol was created by Sanrio. It turned into a megaseller, and while there are a number of theories as to why, the essence of my own theory is that there is no single answer. Hello Kitty benefited from "projectability," meaning that different consumers projected different ideas on this blank canvas. For some, it was little-girl cute, for others it was kitschy, for others it was nostalgic. And because Hello Kitty has no "official story," everyone is, in effect, right.

Now, Sanrio has created upwards of 400 other characters, and believe me, they would love to replicate the success of Hello Kitty. They have never come close. The reason is that there is no secret sauce that makes a brand/logo/symbol meaningful—it comes from consumers.

Source.

Things Other People Have Bought for Me That I Love

So, it was my birthday last week and I got lots of good stuff, including some of the items below. Thanks to all the peeps who helped me celebrate! It was a lot of fun and I appreciate you all trekking to ghetto NB to help me celebrate! post of delicious food on Friday night to come! Here's our Birthday TablesKape:


And here are some lovely things other people bought for me, that I love (some birthday and some not).

1. Wii and games!

My brother got me Wii for Christmas, but by the time it arrived, it was more as an early birthday present. But, OK, seriously, how can you NOT have fun when playing Wii games? It's brilliant. It's like you're actually bowling, but as a cartoon version of yourself (or Bernie Williams, or Stephen Colbert...whatever Mii you choose to make). And, yes, I have made my Ed Helms Mii, only it needs some work, it doesn't quite look like him. Maybe the "Ed Helms Post of the Day" will help inspire me. I also got a bunch of games, including "Cooking Mama," Zelda, and Beach Games (it has Bocce!!!!), and will hopefully be getting Mario Kart soon. Yes, Mario Kart was played at my birthday party, and yes, it may be the most awesome game ever made. I suck, but at least it's fun! My only concern is my lack of being able to do any work now, since I'll be distracted by the Wii-ing. At least there isn't much TV to watch over the summer...I can practice for a potential Wii tournament in the Fall.

2. Le Creuset Blue Teapot

(imagine it's blue)
My love for Le Creuset, much like my love for Ed, has been well documented. Thus, it seems only fitting that two awesome people would buy me this awesome teapot for my birthday! It matches my other blue Le Creuset cookware and looks fancy on my bootleg stove. Perhaps one day it will look even fancier on my Viking 48" Dual Fuel Range. Which will sit outside, on the street, next to the cardboard box in which I will be forced to live, in order to afford such a magnificent piece of culinary craftsmanship.


3. Miniature Hello Kitty Doll

Except mine is wearing a kimono and not holding a stupid purse. It's mini and cute and sits on my couch with me as I watch TV. I mean, I like giant stuffed animals as much as the next girl, but I also like things that don't clutter up my apartment and make me seem like a craze-Mariah-Carey-esque Hello Kitty fan. This shows my love of HK while still being small enough to hide away, you know, should Ed stop by and casually mention that he hates Hello Kitty.

4. Bernie Williams Statue
(I can't find a picture anywhere...apparently the Bernie Williams statuette is not in high demand on Ebay, or, everyone loves their's SO much, they can't bear to part with it).
Technically, the statue was not bought for me, but a ticket to a Yankees game was. Actually, two Yankees tickets were bought for me. I excitedly went to a Yankees game with BMG, doubly excited as it was Bernie Williams Statuette giveaway day, but we had to wait for our companions outside of the stadium before entering, as they had our tickets. As game time approached, I became more and more afraid that I would miss out on my beloved Bernie. Luckily, BMG came to my rescue and bought me a ticket to get inside the stadium to retrieve my precious prize. By the time I got Bern, headed back outside, and met up with my peeps to go back inside for the game, all the Bernies were gone. Ha! Who's the big winner? Yeah, I held onto it all night, to make sure none of the other douche bags at the stadium took him away from me. Although, I guess Steinbrenner took him away from me anyway. Or maybe it was old age.

So, the moral of the story here is always arrive early on Yankees stadium giveaway nights or bring BMG to pay for an extra ticket.

And those are the things other people have bought for me that I love - birthday edition!

Tuesday Tirade - Fat Free Banana

Today, as I took my trusty banana out of my Hello Kitty tote bag I use to carry my lunch to work, I noticed something affixed to it that caused great amounts of anger to rise up in my body: a sticker proclaiming, "Peel Me, I'm Fat Free!" Is this what the world has come to? People are encouraged to eat fruit because it's fat-free, not because of the copious amount of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber contained within them? Is the entire U.S. population so stupid that they don't know fruit is (for the most part) fat-free, thereby necessitating a marketing ploy, in which "fat-free" stickers are placed on the outside of fruit? Actually, maybe it is necessary, since the people who most likely need to lose weight and eat healthier foods are the very same ones making the choice to eat an Egg McMuffin for breakfast, all the while claiming they "didn't know McDonald's food was so high in fat" and suing McDonald's for making them obese. Well, now you can't use that lame excuse anymore. The grocery store produce department makes it easy for you to make healthy choices.

FYI:
Banana - 108 calories, 0.2g of fat
Egg McMuffin (egg, cheese, bacon) - 300 calories, 12g of fat