SANRIO Important achievements and new goals for Sanrio

SANRIO

IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS AND NEW GOALS FOR SANRIO

2021 promises to be a year full of achievements and exciting news for Sanrio, the Japanese multinational known worldwide for its iconic brand Hello Kitty. Sanrio, however, offers a wide and diverse portfolio appealing to generations of fans, of different age, social standing and cultural background, but all united by shared values such as kindness, friendship, inclusion and appreciation of diversity.

Friendship will be Sanrio’s main focus throughout 2021. The latest Hello Kitty and Friends program announced in 2020, will be continued in 2021 and expanded, thanks to new partnerships and dedicated marketing campaigns. In April the Sanrio Character Ranking survey will be available online. This global survey, now in its 36th edition, allows fans around the world to vote for their favorite characters in an exciting competition. The following launch is the new “Which friend are you campaign?”, where fans will get to know Sanrio’s other beloved characters besides Hello Kitty, like My Melody, Bad Badtz Maru, Kerokerokeroppi, Little Twin Stars. The project will engage the public in fun interactive activities...just like the ones you would play with your BFF!

The ability to appeal to an extremely diverse target is one of the most important strengths of Sanrio, but it is also a continuous challenge. The

Hello Kitty and Friends collection, Mattel

unique positioning of Hello Kitty is constantly enhanced through new global collaborations, aming at adult audiences, while reaching a variety of industries, from fashion (like Dr. Martens, which has just launched a Hello Kitty and Friends collection for the second year in a row), to digital (with its consolidated partnership with Nintendo, which has just announced a new crossover with Animal Crossing: New Horizon, with lots of surprises in store in the first half of the year).

Another distinctive feature for Sanrio is represented by its double soul: on one side its Japanese heritage and its kawaii nature, on the other its desire to innovate and to impress consumers. This twofold spirit manifests itself with creative and stylistic choices, international partners’ election and constant research of unexpected collaborations with other IPs. Some notable examples of these collaborations include Chupa Chups, Barbie and Naruto, which will hit the market in the second part of 2021 and in 2022 with different collections, covering the main product categories and the diversified tastes of fans Sanrio also has a large global community with 12 million followers on Facebook and 2 million on Instagram. It is present on all the most influential social media networks, both with accounts dedicated to their different characters and with local profiles to support individual markets. In the EMEA region, major efforts are under way to support the @hellokittyeu page, which has just reached 300,000 followers and continues to show double-digit growth compared to 2020.

The first important news of 2021 is Sanrio’s strong entrance into the kids’ market, especially in the toy industry. Mattel has just launched an extensive line entirely focused on Hello Kitty and Friends characters, including: Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Bad Badtz Maru and Kerokerokeroppi. The collection includes supercute fashion dolls, playsets, surprise elements, fun collectibles and must-have stationery which will be promoted with dedicated marketing campaigns on mainstream media.

The American retail giant joins a long list of international and local partners, including the German group Simba Dickie, which introduced a new Hello Kitty line to the German market last summer, and IMC, with its famous dedicated Cry Baby. Hello Kitty and Friends toys will appear in major retailers in Europe and online, supported by ad hoc cross-promotions mainly in spring and autumn.

To fully serve Hello Kitty’s target audience, new releases are also expected in the back-to-school and apparel sectors, thanks to established partnerships with international retailers who are expanding their Hello Kitty collections with the introduction of other characters.

To support the development of the business and offer children a complete and immersive experience of the brand, Sanrio has also planned major investment in five new YouTube channels in Italian, French, German, Spanish and English. The channels will focus on the 4-8 years old target audience. With ten new videos per month for each channel, the content will range from animated shorts to new DIYs, and will also include specials and collaborations with local content creators.

Another key focus of 2021 is growth in the digital world. In addition to its existing presence in video games, children’s apps and augmented reality for all age groups, new and exciting global partnerships have been added in Q1, including Mars 1982’s “Sanrio Dream Blast” smash game,, children’s “coloring books” from Hippo

Kids Games, and the “Sanrio Collaboration Pack” from Nintendo.

But Sanrio is not just Hello Kitty or Hello Kitty and Friends, but also Aggretsuko, now in its 4th season on Netflix, and Gudetama with its young and diverse audience.

Another positive development comes from Mr. Men Little Miss, the iconic British brand acquired by Sanrio in 2011, which this year celebrates its milestone fiftieth anniversary. Year upon year, the brand has increased its international reach, establishing itself as a classic evergreen property not only in Great Britain but also in France, Australia and especially in China, where it is present on all key social media channels (Weibo, WeChat and Red) and where the first Mr. Men Studio store, located in Hong Kong, just opened. the first time, a public vote was held on www.mrmen.com, allowing fans to select their favorite character from a list of new entries: Mr. Calm, Little Miss Brave, Little Miss Kind, Little Miss Energy and Mr. Brilliant. The two winners will be permanently included in the cast that already counts more than ninety classic characters.

The winners will be announced in an exclusive Channel 4 documentary, presented by actor and writer Matt Lucas. It will look back over the extraordinary 50 years of Mr. Men Little Miss’ life, beginning with the phrase that started it all: When young Adam Hargreaves asked, “Daddy, what does a tickle look like?” he could not have known what it would come to mean for his father Roger Hargreaves, and generations of children in England, first, and later, all across the world. The sociocultural importance of Mr. Men and Little Miss has been so profound that the BBC granted Roger Hargreaves the honor of a

Golden Blue Peter Badge, a recognition reserved for very few English icons.

The year of Mr. Men and Little Miss continued with a series of important collaborations: the capsule collection signed by iconic British brand Cath Kidston, followed by an extensive clothing line by Marks & Spencer, and a prestigious partnership with the Royal Mint. The Royal Mint, which every year mints commemorative coins to celebrate the most significant British icons, selected Mr. Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Giggles and Mr. Strong, which were designed by Adam Hargreaves himself on £5 coins.

Mr. Men Little Miss anniversary celebrations are now in full swing, starting with the “Discover You” campaign launched in January, a celebration of self-affirmation and inclusivity. Also, for

Marks & Spencer x Mr Men Little Miss