JKR

Hello Kitty is one of those odd brands which appeals equally to two year old girls and grown women who enjoy a little ironic kitsch. But as the brand becomes more ubiquitous it is probably losing some cache for the more mature fans. So the tie up with MAC make-up looks like a smart move. It fits MAC’s spirit of “playing with makeup” and the styling of the collaboration gives a darker and more knowing edge to the Kitty look and feel.

The tie-in builds equities for both brands in contrast to some of the less imaginative “let’s share logos” co-branding we have featured in the past (I’m with sexy). Perhaps the reason for this is that while in many licensing partnerships, the licensor shops his or her property around, MAC went after Sanrio, Hello Kitty’s owner, to do the deal. In other words, targeted thinking around the brand fit has translated into an expression which really plays with the notion of the two worlds colliding.

Unlike, I would hazard, 2006’s unnerving Kitty Air – which tends to give the impression “we try to fly…”