LINE Partners with Sanrio® to Launch Hello Kitty® Official Account in the United States

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LINE, the world's leading mobile messaging platform with social network service, today announced its U.S. partnership with Sanrio, the global lifestyle brand best known for Hello Kitty, to launch an Official Account for the pop icon. In addition, to celebrate Hello Kitty's birthday on November 1, LINE will be releasing a free, limited edition Hello Kitty sticker set exclusive to U.S. users. 

LINE and Sanrio partnership in the U.S. market
LINE will leverage this partnership with Sanrio to reach Hello Kitty fans in the U.S. By launching an Official Account for Hello Kitty, Sanrio is able to engage fans through this new type of social communication with direct messaging, stickers and other exclusive content.

"This is an exciting announcement, as it is one of the first LINE Official Accounts in the U.S.," says LINE U.S. CEO Jeanie Han. "Sanrio has grown Hello Kitty into one of the most popular and most recognized brands in the world. This is a great fit for LINE because the core principle of Hello Kitty is based on gifting and sharing those experiences. There are a lot of synergies between the two brands, and this is just one more way that LINE is offering its users different ways to have fun with the platform. This is the first of many offerings that we plan to roll out in the coming year with other loved brands in the U.S."

How it works
LINE users can add the Hello Kitty Official Account to their friends list to receive the latest news on all things Hello Kitty, as well as exclusive content and the ability to download free original LINE Hello Kitty stickers that are only available to U.S. users. This is the first time LINE is introducing Hello Kitty stickers with a special All-American theme. Additional premium Hello Kitty sticker sets will be introduced via the Hello Kitty Official Account in the near future.

About LINE
LINE is a smartphone app which allows users to enjoy free calls and messages to one another, both nationally and internationally, regardless of which mobile network provider they are using. Launched in June 2011 by LINE Corporation (former NHN Japan Corporation), LINE has more than 280 million users worldwide. It has also been ranked no. 1 in 55 countries in the free app category. LINE carries various unique features such as 'instant translation service,' 334 'Official Accounts' that enable users to interact with famous public figures, 'Timeline and Home' to share recent updates with friends, 'Shake it,' a fun way of exchanging ids and many 'Emoji/Stickers/Emoticons.' For more information visit: http://line.naver.jp/en/.

About Sanrio
Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for pop icon Hello Kitty, who will celebrate her 40th Anniversary in 2014. Home to many endearing characters including Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru and Keroppi, Sanrio was founded on the 'small gift, big smile' philosophy – that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique products and experiences. Today, more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 70 countries and upwards of 15,000 U.S. retail locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 80 Sanrio boutiques. For more information please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty.

Copyright:
© 2013 LINE Corporation. All rights reserved. LINE logo is a trademark and/or registered trademark of LINE Corporation in Japan and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Related Links:
LINE Corp. 
Hello Kitty

Image with caption: "LINE Hello Kitty Chat." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131101/MM08683-a

Image with caption: "LINE Hello Kitty Official Account." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131101/MM08683-b

SOURCE LINE