SANRIO A new season of friendship

SANRIO

A NEW SEASON OF FRIENDSHIP

2020 represents a time of great challenges and the whole licensing industry has been looking for ways to overcome the situation, with a positive and reassuring approach towards partners and end consumers.

Sanrio’s corporate philosophy has friendship and fostering of social communication as key values. These play

Exclusive collection @ shopsanrio.com an important role in this delicate process and are taking shape in some fundamental pillars.

First of all, finding new ways to collaborate with licensees has been key to success in EMEA. Sanrio have focused their efforts in providing ad hoc solutions and support for all their partners on both Hello Kitty and Mr. Men sides and in creating synergies on both sales and marketing levels with dedicated sales & marketing teams collaborating with top international agents. In addition, they have secured a substantial investment in the development of new content.

Digital growth is an important factor in Sanrio’s developing strategy and as of today, they already have significant activities in place in videogames, kids’ apps and augmented reality for all age targets. The opportunities offered to consumers are endless: from the virtual platforms with the first Levi’s x Hello Kitty virtual shop for both avatars and real people on Sansar, and the Hello Kitty Water Park on Second Life to Bublar’s game app based on geo-localization named “Kawaii World”, aimed at younger users. Significant collaborations are also in place with Nintendo, including the Animal Crossing game and the creation of Nintendo DS themes.

Alongside this, Sanrio are present on all major social media platforms in EMEA with continuous organic growth and are also very active with influencers. For instance, after the collaborations with the French Instagram celebrity Natoo and the YouTube stars Marzia and PewDiePie they launched a partnership with Elettra Lamborghini involving Aggretsuko and My Melody. Sanrio have recently launched a new owned e-commerce site - Shopsanrio. com - that joins the existing mrmen.com

and sells exclusive personalized items and unique collections in collaboration with artists, influencers and YouTubers such as the LA-based Korean artist “Esther Bunny”.

Hello Kitty is an iconic brand with a really wide fanbase – including adults. Sanrio will always strive to keep this unique positioning, supported by significant brand collaborations in every category, from automotive to sport and high-end apparel. After Balenciaga and GCDS’ featuring Hello Kitty on their catwalks and Levi’s and Puma launching their mini - me collections, Dr. Martens, Furla and Charli Cohen followed in their path… and other big news are to be announced for 2021!

2021 will be marked by the introduction of new product lines with key players in kids’ licensing, especially in the toy industry, giving Sanrio the opportunity to penetrate the kids market dramatically. The German Group Simba Dickie released their Hello Kitty range this summer while the American giant Mattel is launching a new collection focused on Hello Kitty and Friends in Q1/2021. In terms of apparel,

Sanrio consolidated their historical and ongoing partnerships in fast fashion with companies such as H&M, the Inditex Group, C&A, FOX, LLP, Desigual and El Corte Ingles and added Benetton, Undiz and Fix.

The experiential factor, offering consumers a full and immersive insight into the characters’ worlds, is also part of Sanrio’s developing strategy, starting with the Hello Kitty dedicated area within Dream Island Russia – Europe’s first indoor theme park – and the opening of themed menus and restaurants.

Another key role in Sanrio’s growth is the diversification of the portfolio. Hello Kitty is a global star but the family counts over 450 other characters with a significant following worldwide, for which Sanrio is planning investments in the development of TV and digital content as well as new consumer product style guides.

The new Hello Kitty and Friends programme was announced in 2020 and will see its consolidation and expansion in 2021 with new collaborations and dedicated communication campaigns. Gudetama x Charli Cohen collaboration

Alongside, the youngest characters gudetama and Aggretsuko are following their own path developing a solid fanbase worldwide. The lazy egg is growing in the streetwear market with Adidas Neo and Reebok partnerships and its fashion collaboration with the British designer Charli Cohen, while the cutest red panda just had her 3rd season released on Netflix (late August).

Collaborations with other IPs will also bring a new fresh look to the Sanrio characters. Sanrio and Chupa Chups, for instance, are becoming BFFs (Brands about Fun and Friends) and recently announced a partnership to share their common mission of “creating a fun-filled experience to be shared with friends”. Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters – My Melody, Kerokerokeroppi, Bad Badtz Maru, Little Twin Stars, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll – will get a sweet makeover through new designs and style guides which will be available for licensees in Europe, in categories such as apparel, accessories, cosmetics, social stationery and accessories.

Mr. Men studio in Hong Kong

Given all the above, friendship is pivotal for the recovery, both on business and personal levels. Sanrio wants to celebrate and put the spotlight on this value in 2021 even more, focusing on kindness but also on inclusivity and diversity because as Hello Kitty always says “you can never have too many friends”, regardless who they are, what they look like or where they are from. Dedicated campaigns will run from the beginning of the year and will live their greatest moment closer to summer with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Hello Kitty and her friends will be protagonists of several collaborations and public campaigns to explain to children how to protect themselves from infection, and as social media ambassadors of kindness and healthy behaviors.

Mr. Men Little Miss, the iconic British brand acquired by Sanrio in 2011, follows Hello Kitty in her successful path and continues to go from strength to strength as it approaches the landmark 50th anniversary in 2021. As a brand full of personality, the theme for next year will be ‘Discover You’ – a celebration of selfexpression and inclusivity.

For the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Mr. Men & Little Misses have a fun-filled year packed with marketing activities, digital content and highprofile collaborations around the world - as activity and interest for the brand continue to grow worldwide. In Asia, one of the fastest growing territories, the Mr. Men & Little Misses have joined key social channels Weibo, WeChat and Red to reach new audiences. The world’s first standalone retail brand store, Mr. Men Studio, has also opened its doors in Hong Kong. This exciting immersive shopping experience invites customers to literally step into the pages of the classic books and buy personalized and unique items featuring their favorite characters.

In 2021, online activity will also play a key role engaging with fans with the introduction of 50 brand new mini animations and interactive sharable filters for social media. The brand will also introduce five new characters, and for the first time ever ask the public to vote at MrMen.com for their two favorite characters to permanently join the classic 90+ strong cast.