Not quite what I expected, but it got my attention

Hello Kitty graffiti at the Broadway and Commercial SkyTrain Station, Vancouver, BC

Hello Kitty graffiti at the Broadway and Commercial SkyTrain Station, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

I tell my marketing students to never underestimate the power of cute. The Smart Car, the VW Beetle and the reigning queen of cuteness, Hello Kitty. In some categories cute is pretty much all you need to be the market leader. And the millions of dollars that Sanrio makes form licensing the HJello Kitty figure is a testement ot tyhe ppower of cute.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw the image of Hello Kitty on a support for the SkyTrain tracks.  Yes, I expected graffiti, but I not this.

Will it be painted out? Probably. But I think that is a shame. It is certainly nicer to look at than the raw steel of the girder. And it it does get painted out, it will likely return. Never underestimate the power of Hello Kitty.