Last fall, a friend of mine worked at the first ever Hello Kitty Con, a convention that celebrated Hello Kitty’s 40-year anniversary. When my friend returned from the convention in Los Angeles, she marveled about how Hello Kitty fans were incredibly devoted to the little kitten, much like Trekkies are devoted to the Star Trek show. Hello Kitty fans are women and men of all shapes and sizes, and they span the age continuum. Fans went to Hello Kitty Con dressed up like their favorite kitty. They admired the first Hello Kitty coin purse launched in 1974, and bought new products such as Hello Kitty’s Spam Musubi, a sushi making kit using Spam. And they met and waited in line for an autograph from Yuko Yamaguchi, Hello Kitty’s head designer. Basically, they soaked up all things Hello Kitty.

This summer, Hello Kitty’s Super Cute Friendship Festival passed through town, and it got me thinking about how this iconic character had such devoted fans and such staying power. I grew up loving Hello Kitty, and have bought many of her products during my lifetime. Now, every time we go to Target, my 2-year old daughter points to a Hello Kitty coloring book or a bag that she really wants. I began asking myself, what is it about Hello Kitty that gives her not only brand longevity, but her cult-like appeal? What can we marketers learn from her?

Here’s why I think she is a good model for brand marketers:

Hello Kitty has strong character traits. She’s unabashedly cute and not afraid to flaunt it. She’s fashionable, down-to-earth and pretty smart to boot. Hello Kitty knows who she is. The Sanrio website describes her like this: “As tall as five apples, and as heavy as three, Hello Kitty is a bright little girl with a heart of gold. She loves to bake cookies and play the piano, and dreams of one day becoming a pianist and maybe even a poet. She has a gift for music and English, and a soft spot for Mama’s apple pie.” Hello Kitty taps into the cute child in all of us. Everything Hello Kitty does is cute. The traveling Friendship Festival I mentioned earlier is not just Cute - it's Super Cute!

When thinking about your own brand’s identity, think of your brand as a person. If your brand was a person, who would it be? What characteristics does your brand possess? If you were to write a dating ad for your brand, what would it say? Take a shot at writing the dating ad in your brand’s voice. How does your brand express itself? The Philosophy beauty brand does a nice job of expressing its point of view. Its philosophy on life is expressed on every product. Its products are called Amazing Grace, Hope in a Bottle and When Hope is Not Enough. The copy on each bottle is meant to uplift and nourish the soul. The brand celebrates its philosophy about living gracefully and with gratitude and acceptance, and it has a distinct brand character.

Hello Kitty knows what she stands for. Hello Kitty embodies happiness, friendship, and fun. Hello Kitty values her family and her relationships with her friends. She is always going out and doing fun things, and exploring the world. One of my favorite books that I bought for myself (before even having a kid) is Hello Kitty’s Hello World. It features Hello Kitty in different countries, eating different foods and making friends with the animals indigenous to the countries. Hello Kitty is featured in books, stationary, clothing, accessories and other products that are fun and playful. You can even make a Hello Kitty waffle in her likeness. Now that is super fun!

What does your brand stand for? What’s your brand’s essence? Can you describe it in a phrase that is 4 words or less? What are your brand's values? In other words, what does your brand fight for and what does your brand fight against? The Hello Kitty brand would fight for friendship, and she would fight against arguments. She would fight for happiness and fun, and she would fight against sadness and boredom. Method cleaning products advertises exactly what it fights against. The brand says that it's: “People against Dirty.” It’s not just about the need to ‘clean,’ it’s about cleaning in an environmentally conscious way. Method is not a company with a point of view - it's people with a point of view. It’s a great mantra to describe a brand philosophy and a movement towards better cleaning.

Hello Kitty stays up with the times and is culturally relevant. Over the years Hello Kitty has been making the news and the tabloids. Lady Gaga donned an evening dress made up of Hello Kitty dolls for a photo shoot celebrating the Kitty’s 35th Anniversary. Hello Kitty has also made friends with celebrities like Paris Hilton, Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus. At Hello Kitty Con 2014, a fashion show called Lovely Kitty Wonder: A Hello Kitty Fashion Installation was created by leading edge designers and curated by Stephiee Nguyen of JapanLA Clothing. There was even a tattoo parlor where you could get an actual tattoo of Hello Kitty. Katie Perry showed up in an adorable dress and pigtails, and got a Hello Kitty tattoo on her finger.

Do an audit for your brand. How culturally relevant is your brand? What are ways you can stay connected to culture that is true to your brand essence? Who can your brand partner with or what can your brand create to reflect your brand’s essence? Red Bull created the Red Bull Flugtag – a contest that pits home-made human powered flying vehicles against each other. These outrageous vehicles are judged in three categories - distance, creativity, and showmanship. Flugtag is totally consistent with Red Bull’s party persona of going the distance. And the contest has been running since 1991.

But wait - doesn't Hello Kitty have some haters? Hello Kitty Hell is a blog by a man who is fed up with all the cuteness. He posts about all the things he hates about the kitty. Is this a bad thing? No. It just means that Hello Kitty is a strong brand with a point of view that not everyone is going to buy into. She's not for everyone, and that's okay. Hello Kitty only needs to cater to those who appreciate her cuteness. Hello Kitty fanatics who will drop huge coin on the famous kitty - like one woman who spent $1.2 million to renovate her home to reflect her passion for Hello Kitty and to house her expensive and enormous Hello Kitty collection. Now that's the kind of brand fan I'd want.

What do you think? What else can marketers learn from Hello Kitty?

Hello Marketers: What Brands can Learn from Hello Kitty