VIRGINIA, USA — The WHISKAS® brand wants to make cats and their parents happy through its new Purr More global brand campaign which launched today in Russia, the rest of the world to follow. The first of its kind advertising campaign features a suite of films from Bafta-winning animator and director Nina Gantz and original Cat music from National Symphony Cellist and “Animal Composer” David Teie created especially for cats – but can also be enjoyed by their humans. The campaign comes to life through a strong social media strategy that targets cat parents in the main platforms.
“As any cat parent knows, getting a purr from your cat is the highest praise you could earn. We believe that happy cats make happy humans, so we’re delighted to launch a WHISKAS® campaign that creates more purrs all round,” said Jane Wakely Mars Petcare CMO. “Purr More is a great example of how we’re innovating and utilizing digital and technology to put pet parents at the heart of our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.”
Created by AMV BBDO for the WHISKAS® brand, each film takes us inside a cat’s imagination to better understand what happens when they purr. The scenarios were built from things cats love, such as cardboard boxes, wool, and laundry, and each asset contains a unique brand mnemonic precisely designed to appeal to the felines. Teie’s work has been scientifically proven by the Journal of Feline Medicine to reduce cat’s stress levels.*
“Cats listen to sounds at different frequencies to humans, so we’ve created a piece of music that appeals to their unique audio range,” said Teie of the mnemonic.
The team for WHISKAS® cat food tested the new melody with cats around the globe, and the majority reacted positively to cat music compared to classical music or nothing at all.
That’s why the brand worked with Teie to also create “WHISKAS® Purr More”, a new track and playlist to de-stress cats which will be available for free on Spotify and YouTube. The brand team, which has a long-term commitment to supporting pet shelters worldwide, has been working closely with these institutions and veterinary clinics to ensure the music is available to cats who need comfort the most.
Alex Grieve, Chief Creative Officer at AMV BBDO, says, “We wanted to create an idea for WHISKAS® that truly mirrored their mission which, when you boil everything down, is to make cats and cat parents happy. The purr is the ultimate sign of cat happiness. So, in every piece of creative work moving forward our goal will be to create a world where cats Purr More.”
The launch track of the playlist, titled Purr More, has its own music video, created by animator Daniel Stankler. The WHISKAS® team also have plans to print a limited-edition collectible vinyl. Each vinyl has a fish printed on the top that will revolve when played and entertain cats as they enjoy the music. Influencers will be invited to play it to their cat and share the interaction on TikTok, encouraging others to do the same.
For even more fun, via a digital app, cat parents will even be able to convert cats’ purrs into currency for more Whiskas®. The bigger the purr, the better the prize.
Reference:
*According to the Journal of Feline Medicine, a clinical study measured the cats’ stress scores (CSSs) with silence, classical music, and cat music during veterinary exams. It went beyond the behavioural observation of the previous study to capture physiological responses as well. Cats showed significantly lower CSSs in response to cat music during the exams. (Hampton, Ford, Cox, Liu & Koh, 2019)
(Hampton, Ford, Cox, Liu & Koh, 2019). Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic. [online]. First Published February 12, 2019 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
CREDITS
Client: Mars
Brand: WHISKAS®
Campaign title: Purr More
Client name: Lyubov Chumikova, WHISKAS® Global Brand Director at Mars
Nailya Alieva, WHISKAS® Global Brand Manager at Mars
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
CCO: Alex Grieve
ECDs: Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley
Creative Director: Neil Clark and Jay Phillips
Creative Team: Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones
Creative Design Director: Vanessa Fowler Kendall, Mario Kerkstra, Max Henderson and Simon Dilks
Agency Planning Team: Lola Neves, Brian Williamson, Emily Brydon and Phoebe Fielding
Agency Account Team: Alice Kasappian, Poppy Wilson, Ella Fanshawe, Matthew Henry, Ethan Meade and Maddie Burnell
Agency Producer: Sophie Honour and Joe Sloane
Media Agency: Mediacom
Production Company: Blink Ink
Director: Nina Gantz
Production Co. Producer: Gareth Owen
Post-production Company: Blink Ink and Coffee & TV
Sound studio: 750 – Mark Hellaby
Audio Post-production: Mr Pape
