Lessons in Marketing from Driving the Hello Kitty Car

Fathers would do anything to make their daughters smile. After driving our Hello Kitty car for 9 years, this is what I’ve learned about marketing:

Remove Personal Bias

At first I had to keep my head in check about why women everywhere were smiling at me. Over time I started to realize that our car brought joy to a wide range of people. It’s not unusual to find people taking selfies with “Kitty” including construction workers and teenage boys. I had a preconceived idea of who would appreciate our car and I was 100% wrong.

A Huge Impact Can be Achieved on a Small Budget

Total cost of pimping our Prius? About $1500. We did it because that’s who we are. We live in color, and sometimes that attracts attention. Next to a $400K Lamborghini, our Prius turns more heads.

People Admire Others With the Courage to Stand Out, but Ultimately Most Prefer to Blend In

You’ve seen the movies set in the 1950s when cars were much more colorful. Today, car makers stick to black, white, and gray. I think that’s because people want to blend in. I found this recent CNBC video about car colors fascinating. Some say it’s so that people can easily resell their cars. That’s ok. We’re not planning on selling her anytime soon.

Luka & Taj’s Under the Sea Party

 

 

Before we left for Mallorca this summer, we threw a birthday party for Luka and Taj.  In Sina’s typical style, we went all out.  Only she could come up all of these ocean themed costumes, food, and activities.  I am constantly in awe of her imagination and creativity.  If anyone out there is looking for some interesting ideas for a birthday party, I hope this video will give you some inspiration!