Sanrio’s Kuromi “Maid in Black”: Akihabara Maid Café Collaboration

Written by: Michael Keferl on December 18, 2006 at 11:30 am | In Marketing & Ad Trends, Technology & Gadget Trends |

In another move to show that maid cafes are respectable, mainstream establishments, Sanrio (of Hello Kitty fame), Banpresto, and four of the top maid cafes in Akihabara have collaborated on the “Maid in Black” campaign.

Featuring Sanrio’s Kuromi, a gothic-yet-cutesy character, the maid cafés are selling character merchandise and even dressing their maids with caps just like Kuromi’s. This includes in-café promotions featuring character appearances, as well as promotion from Banpresto on their Kuromi “Maid in Black” website for the four cafés.

Promotions like this have given much more credibility to the maid café movement, and have brought in tons of customers from the non-otaku group…mainly, attractive women. In our last visit to Akihabara there was an hour wait at one of these cafés, and about 75% of the customers seemed to be young, attractive women looking for fun and a show along with their coffee or tea.

Product integration involves everything from plush dolls, to keychains, to the ever-present plastic maid models available all over Akihabara. No word as to whether the presence of female customers has been scaring off the reliable male Otaku clientele, but the collaboration has made the idea of maid cafes a normal entertainment option for anyone who likes cute.

Pictures via Banpresto

Tags: Characters, Hello Kitty, Kuromi, Sanrio
Category: Marketing & Ad Trends, Technology & Gadget Trends
Other categories: Fashion & Lifestyle Trends