One of the founders of Squly & Friends, Mr Chan said that the adorable looks of the characters are what capture the hearts of the audience.

With comics, free stickers and Wallpaper, “Squly & Friends” became a hit on its website and social media.

“Squly & Friends” brought the shoppers on a magical journey in the Spot mall.

“Squly & Friends” participated in the Hong Kong International Licensing Show and had a booth at the Hong Kong Creative Gallery where outstanding local original brands and items were showcased to promote the licensing business.

A bevy of character brands is entering the market, but it is not easy to stand out. New animal character brand “Squly & Friends” has become a hit on an online forum thanks to its dynamic comics. With its popularity, the brand was later promoted in shopping malls and reached out to the wider public.

To be a widely liked character brand takes more than adorable looks. The storyline, complete with character personalities, traits and talents, is equally important to create talking points and to attract the audience. Founded in 2013, “Squly & Friends” followed this formula and quickly became an online hit.

Amassing loyal fans on the internet

"Every character has personal preferences and a career. Squly the squirrel is an acorn researcher, who is rational and loves science. Bealy the bear loves food and cooking. Vegetarian and eco-friendly Kily is a heat-resisting penguin who loves the hot springs and Taiyaki. Cely the lion is a kind and friendly dessert chef who runs a dessert and coffee shop. The three owl sisters Owlsss are health and beauty experts. Based on the talents of the characters, we create different comic stories. For example, Squly shares daily trivia and Bealy shows different cooking techniques. Our diverse characters and rich storylines naturally attract many audiences,” said Mr Chan, who continually posts the “Squly & Friends” comics on the website and social media platforms of his and his partner, designer Ms Pang. This was how they amassed a group of loyal followers.

Apart from publishing serial comics, “Squly & Friends” regularly launches marketing campaigns to raise brand awareness. Mr Chan said that participating in fairs, seeking cross-over opportunities with other groups or brands and launching various looks and products are great ways to grow the brand. “At the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) Hong Kong International Licensing Show 2015, we had a booth at the Hong Kong Creative Gallery and we met an event organiser. Through their referral, we became the mascots for the shopping mall, the Spot, at its Christmas promotion event. We created new costumes for the characters to match the theme of magic paradise.”

Participating in festive cross-over events

Each year, the Hong Kong International Licensing Show serves as a hub for event planners and organisers to identify character brands for partnership and for proposing festive cross-over ideas to shopping malls. “Chinese New Year, Easter, summer holidays and Mid-Autumn Festival are all major holiday seasons for shopping malls, with Christmas being the most important one. Christmas is a globally celebrated holiday and the most popular gift season of the year, always boosting the sales of all types of high-end products, foods and gifts. All shopping malls will be well-prepared for Christmas. Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival are more family-oriented with a focus on food and gifts. Easter and summer holidays sales are dominated by sweets and stationery gifts, respectively."

Mr Chan said that “Squly & Friends” was chosen by the shopping mall for the comic’s online popularity, cute and well-known characters, as well as its diverse products that attract shoppers to stay longer in the mall. “Shopping malls usually arrange different performances for promotional events. In the Spot’s event, ‘Squly and Friends’ were the mascots and performed in the magic show. We connected with the audiences and they took photos with us. A pop-up shop was also set up to sell our merchandise.”