🌸Management Future Notebook: Friday (Issue 93) - Complete Preservation Edition: 'Why Hello Kitty Has No Mouth: The Real Reason Sanrio Conquered the World' - What is the 'Japanese-style Business' that is Increasing in Value in the AI Era?
🌸Management Future Notebook: Friday (Issue 93) - Complete Preservation Edition: 'Why Hello Kitty Has No Mouth: The Real Reason Sanrio Conquered the World'
—What is the 'Japanese-style Business' that is Increasing in Value in the AI Era?
(Written by Akifumi Yasumura / Business Capability Development Co., Ltd.)
Since today is Friday, I will deliver a 'Story that Connects to the Future'.
Through episodes of history and culture, I will share inspiration that will remain in your heart over the weekend.
■Introduction
Why does Hello Kitty have no mouth?
Within this small sense of unease,
lies the essence of how a company from Japan conquered the world.
While Disney and Marvel captivated the world with 'strong stories',
Sanrio is 'a company that expanded into the world by not having a story'.
Sanrio was a company that commercialized 'relationships themselves',
rather than 'stories'.
At the center of this was the founder, Shintaro Tsuji.
'People cannot live alone. Therefore, let us help each other and live.'
This philosophy spread throughout the world in the form of characters.
Today, I will weave
Sanrio's struggles
Until becoming the global Sanrio
The uniqueness as a manager
The potential that Japan possesses
Implications for management in the AI era
into a single story.
■1. Sanrio's Struggles: The Era of 'Mass Prototyping and Mass Discarding'
Contrary to its glamorous image, the Sanrio of the 1970s was an era where
they created a massive number of characters, most of which disappeared.
Between 1973 and 1974 alone,
• Coro-chan
• Spunky Barrow
• Bunny & Matty
• Patty & Jimmy
• Yachiyo Charmer
• And Kitty
More than 10 types were developed at the same time,
and behind them existed dozens of discarded characters.
At the time, Sanrio developed 10 to 20 characters per year,
using a 'throw enough at the wall and see what sticks' method where they would immediately withdraw if they didn't sell.
Many of the discarded characters disappeared for reasons such as:
• Complex faces
• Heavy worldviews
• Difficult for children to draw
• Unsuitable for merchandise development
In other words, Kitty was 'a surviving character standing on a mountain of discarded characters'.
■2. Until Becoming the Global Sanrio: 'Design Revolution' and 'Invention of Relationships'
Behind the birth of Kitty was a design revolution.
The first designer, Yuko Shimizu, drew multiple rough sketches, including front-facing, side-facing, mouth-having, and mouth-less versions.
What was finally chosen was an extremely simple design that was:
• Side-facing
• Mouth-less
• Three-head-tall proportions
Seeing this proposal, Mr. Tsuji judged as follows:
'This child can enter anyone's heart.'
The feature of 'having no mouth' would later become the greatest weapon for world domination.
She looks sad to sad people, and happy to happy people.
Kitty became a 'mirror of emotions' that could be accepted across cultures, religions, and values.
Furthermore, Kitty does not have a grand story.
That is precisely why she was able to enter into every situation, such as:
• Children's friendships
• Gifts between lovers
• Memories between parents and children
• Encouragement in hospitals
• LGBTQ+ self-expression
Characters that do not tell stories create stories within people's lives.
This is Kitty's strength.
■3. The Uniqueness of the Company and President Tsuji: 'A Manager Who Institutionalized Kindness'
Shintaro Tsuji is a person who continued to hold the value that 'people cannot live unless they help each other' from his wartime experiences.
The materials state the following:
He returned his liquor sales license, stating, 'Making employees carry heavy objects goes against my beliefs.'
This was a decision that prioritized 'human burden' over management rationality.
Furthermore, Sanrio was 'a company that institutionalized kindness' through things like:
• A culture of celebrating employees' birthdays
• Thorough adherence to character personality settings
• Hiring that emphasizes good human relationships
Mr. Tsuji is a Type 2 on the Enneagram.
He is a rare manager in the world who sublimated compassion into a management philosophy.
■4. The Potential of Japan to Create a Diverse World: 'Kawaii' is a Culture of Inclusion
Sanrio's 'Kawaii' is not just a design.
It is a worldview itself that:
• Excludes no one
• Hurts no one
• Accepts everyone
As a result, Sanrio became a cultural apparatus that:
• Is loved regardless of gender
• Is accepted across borders
• Became a place for minority self-expression
• Made 'Kawaii' a global language
This shows that the 'culture of relationships' that Japan possesses is viable in the world.
■5. What Can Be Learned as a Manager: The AI Era is When Japanese-style Business Blossoms
The more AI evolves, the more the value that AI cannot provide comes into focus.
That is:
• The power to create relationships
• The power to read the emotions of others
• A culture that embraces diversity
• The power to move hearts with small gifts
This is exactly the domain that Sanrio has polished.
Here, I will pose one question.
Does your company's product create 'relationships'?
Is it designed to enter into the lives of customers, rather than just selling products?
Both sports and art create relationships between people and generate stories.
The more AI evolves, the more we are entering an era where companies that can design relationships will win.
■Editor's Postscript
Kitty's success is no accident.
It is the result of overcoming mountains of failed characters, pushing through struggles, and continuing to believe in the value of 'kindness'.
■ Today's Question
Does your company have a system that allows people (or things) to get along with each other?
■ Cat's Mutterings
'Kitty-senpai, you've made the world a softer place, meow.'
■ Conclusion (Today's Takeaway)
Future management will be determined by the 'ability to design relationships'.
■ Click here for the introductory Management Future Notebook article
https://note.com/quiet_gnu5848/n/n02fd172fe229
👉 Please feel free to share your thoughts.
yasumura@biz-noukai.com
■ Next Issue Preview: April 11th
'Why does Sekai no Yokosawa keep winning?'
■ Appendix
[Characteristics of Kitty that gained global support]
