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.

Never underestimate the power of cute

Many times I've told my marketing students to never underestimate the power of cute. The Smart car, the VW Beetle, and "Hello Kitty" all succeed to some degree based on their cuteness. So, what did I find when I was unpacking groceries last week?

Heinz "Hello Kitty" Pasta

A tin of "Hello Kitty" pasta. I have no idea what "Hello Kitty", a licensed character from Japan and flagrant rip-off of Dick Bruna's "Miffy", has to do with pasta. I don't associate pasta, or even whole grain pasta, with Japan. But my daughter fell for this hook, line and sinker, and my wife was unable to dissuade her. (It was on sale, and the price was therefore somewhat in line with competitive products.)

So we had "Hello Kitty" pasta at our house. Was it repulsive? No, just bland and average, which is what I expect of food aimed at children. The fat and sodium contents were not too outrageous. But I suspect that most people buying this pasta will be doing so regardless of the ingredient label. The seal of approval from Sanrio is all that is required to get these tins flying of the shelves.

The right products in the right place

What the hell was I thinking! I went into a Staples store to look at computers. I found some good deals on laptops, but ended up buying a couple of things that were not on my list.

Have a look at the folders on this rack. (Especially on the second shelf from the bottom.)

Rack at Staples

The folder at the right side is the one that caught my daughter's attention.

Muppet folder at Staples

Putting the Muppets at a four year-old's eye level was a temptation too great for her to resist. Even though young children are probably not the main component of the target customers for the Staples at the University of British Columbia, there are probably enough Muppet fans around that the store will move a few of these folders.

As I've said to my students more than once; never underestimate the power of cute. And cute in the right place is irresistable.