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Hello Kitty Mastercard: Credit Card With Training Wheels

Hello Kitty has a new platform: the Hello Kitty MasterCard debit card. And kids have a credit card with training wheels.

"Freedom! You can use the Hello Kitty Debit MasterCard to shop 'til you drop," the card's website enthuses. "...the cutest way to shop ."

Where's the blog? It could teach fiscal responsibility and answer kids' questions about handling money. And the little cardholders could be explaining how they shopped themselves into oblivion and got their parents to put more money on the pre-paid cards.

Categories: Marketing Strategy, Needs a Blog

BL Ochman | Oct 10 04 9:07 | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Surprisingly, Hello Kitty is incredibly popular with adults. I have seen far more adult women with Hello Kitty merchandise than kids, so let's hope that they are targeting them rather than preteens.

Posted by: aleah at October 10, 2004 4:24 PM

A Detroit News article with the headline "Hello Kitty brand woos youth market" says, "We think our target age group will be from 10 to 14, although it could certainly go younger," said Bruce Giuliano, senior vice president of licensing for Sanrio Inc., which owns the brand.

Posted by: B.L. Ochman at October 11, 2004 11:38 AM

Depressing!

Posted by: aleah at October 11, 2004 2:28 PM

which is more depressing - encouraging levels of debt before kids have even left school, or pandering to the cutesy, emotional repression of women who can't face growing up?

Posted by: kerry at October 15, 2004 7:33 AM

MasterCard's "Hello Kitty" Card Encourages Compulsive Buying Epidemic: http://business.baylor.edu/news/details.aspx?articleID=431

Posted by: CJ at October 15, 2004 10:22 PM

Mastercredit card is not safe in teh hands of adults, how could it possibly be safe when it comes to kids?

Posted by: Jeni at March 18, 2006 12:41 PM

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About BL Ochman

Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations

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