Saturday, December 1, 2012

Stellar and Advertising (This week's Photo Hunt themes)


You know what the proverbial "they" say about no news being good news?  Well, Hello Kitty proves that no advertising is stellar advertising.  "What do you mean no advertising?"  I hear some of you ask.  After all, she seems to be everywhere -- even at this year's Thanksgiving Parade in New York.  And helping to advertise a whole bunch of commercial products -- and even help lure visitors to Japan (and when they are there, help them to find their way around).

But here's the thing: there actually is zero -- or, at the very least, very little -- explicit advertising of Kitty Chan (as she tends to be called in Japan) herself! Instead, other companies -- some of which, like McDonald's, are pretty mega well known themselves -- pay her company, Sanrio, to have Hello Kitty help advertise their products!!

And the thing is... this tie-in works to bring in more customers -- and also generate extra advertising free of charge. Because... well look at what's happened by way of my entry this week for Sandi's and Gattina's Photo Hunt: i.e., people like me cannot help but be wowed by the images of the cute cat, snap photos of them and then put them up on my blog to share with others -- and in the process, call (more) attention not only to the stellar pop cultural icon that is Hello Kitty but, also, the (other) brands featured in the pictures! ;O

17 comments:

eastcoastlife said...

I see the golden arches in every possible corner of Singapore. It's the M every weekend for my nephews. So easy to feed them. :D

Vicki said...

Stellar non-advertising indeed. Well spotted.

My stellar is at http://hindmarsh-island.com/?p=969

YTSL said...

Hi EastCoastLife --

Yikes, McDonalds every weekend? I don't think I even go once a month! :O

Hi Vicki --

Thanks... and well, I can't help noticing when it comes to Hello Kitty... ;)

magiceye said...

Lovely takes for the theme combo!!

Anonymous said...

Love your take for 'stellar'! Perfect for this week's theme.

Have a super weekend.

Susan Demeter said...

I love Hello Kitty, she has a following here in Canada too :)

LifeRamblings said...

you can never go wrong with Hello Kitty. i love everything about her.

YTSL said...

Hi Magiceye --

Thanks!

Hi JDeQ --

Thanks and hope you have a good weekend yourself. :)

Hi Sue --

Glad to hear that! :)

Hi LifeRamblings --

Wah, you sound like an even bigger fan of Kitty Chan than me! ;O

Gattina said...

Who doesn't know Hello Kitty ! the dream of all little girls and even older once like me, lol !

Trekcapri said...

Hi YTSL, these are great photos and a perfect take for the two themes.

That was a really interesting article you posted from the SF Gate. Hello Kitty seems to be very popular in Buenos Aires as well. :)

I'm back from my trip, but due to continuing jetlag and a weary mind, I will have to unfortunately skip this week's PH. But I am looking forward to rejoining next weekend. :) Have a great weekend.

alejna said...

You make me smile when you write about Hello Kitty! I hadn't really thought about it that she doesn't need to adveritse herself. So many people & companies do the job for her. That's power!

Carver said...

Interesting post for the themes. Happy Weekend.

MaR said...

Glad my McD days are over, no kids to feed :)

Hello Kitty always makes me smile.

stellar ~ advertising

Vane M. said...

Sem dúvida um ponto de vista interessante sobre estelar...Um abraço!

http://omirantedaimagem.blogspot.com.br/2012/11/estelar.html

YTSL said...

Hi Gattina --

Cool to know that Hello Kitty has fans (including at least one adult female) in Belgium too! :)

Hi Trekcapri --

Welcome back from South America and hope to see you Photo Hunting again soon! :)

Hi Alejna --

I'm smiling at the thought that my Hello Kitty writings make you smile. :)

Hi Carver --

Thanks and happy weekend to you too. :)

Hi Mar --

I'm not a super fan of McDonald's but it can be convenient as there are McDonald's outlets in Hong Kong -- including one less than 10 minutes walk from my place -- that are open 24 hours!

And I love that Hello Kitty always makes you smile -- because she has that effect on me too! :)

Hi Bia Hain --

Stellar *and* advertising! ;)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

I can't think of any one more Stellar than Hello Kitty!
Thanks for joining us!

YTSL said...

Hi Sandi --

Awww, appreciate your kind comments re Hello Kitty! :)