Hello Kitty to Promote Eva

All Associated Press NewsTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Hello Kitty, Asia's can't-miss marketing symbol, has been enlisted once again -- this time by a Taiwanese airline eager to carry more passengers to Japan.

Eva Airways Corp., the island's second-largest airline, said an Airbus A300-200 painted with the yellow cartoon cat will be used on its daily Taipei-Fukuoka flight starting Saturday.

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It said the Hello Kitty theme would extend to the plane's interior -- and to its cutlery, boarding passes, and even flight attendant uniforms.

"There is much interest in Taiwan in Hello Kitty," said Catherine Kuo, an Eva spokeswoman. "Our present load factor on the Fukuoka flight is 70-80 percent. We hope with the introduction of this campaign it will go even higher."

Kuo said the company would pay Japanese franchise holder Sanrio Co. a fee for using the Hello Kitty symbol, but declined to say how much.

Hello Kitty, created in 1974 by Japanese designer Yuko Shimizu, has an almost cult-like following across much of Asia, including the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and China.

There aren't many consumer sectors where the Kitty doesn't pop up. She adorns clothing, house wares, cosmetics, jewelry, toys of all sorts, stationery and electronics from waffle irons to computers.

Earlier this year, Taiwan's 7-Eleven chain began offering Hello Kitty tokens to customers making purchases of at least 77 New Taiwan dollars (US$2.50; euro2). Within weeks, the company said, its sales had jumped 20 percent.

The character's appeal spans all ages, especially among girls and women. But men buy Hello Kitty products too, often as gifts for daughters, wives or girlfriends.