The Challenge
Temptations, America’s #1 cat treat brand, known for unrivalled irresistibility, was expanding its treat lineup with new ‘Lickable Spoons.’ We needed parents to know it offered an irresistible experience for cats and a mess-free bonding moment for cat parents. The launch of the ‘Lickable Spoon’ was important not only because it was new, but because lickables are the growth area of the cat treat category. Whilst household penetration has remained relatively flat for cat treats, lickables has more than tripled since 2020. The film was a continuation of our brand platform, CATS LOSE THEIR COOL™, which shows that Temptations’ taste is irresistible enough to make even the most anti-social cat come running for quality time. How did we know this would appeal to our audience? Through trend analysis and social listening, we uncovered that cat owners often poke fun at their cats’ independence – labelling them as acting ‘too cool’. The campaign leans into this insight by playing on common pop culture ‘cool’ tropes to position cats as independent, aloof and too ‘cool’ to spend time with their owner. In this ad, we see a cat with passion for DJ’ing, acting too cool to hang out with his cat dad.
The Solution
Temptations had big ambitions to become a $1B brand by 2025. To do that, they needed to tackle a growing subsection of the market. Lickables, a relatively new sub-category of cat treats had burst onto the scene and gone viral across socials. Younger cat parents, who Temptations needed to recruit, were going crazy for competitors’ products. Temptations therefore launched new Lickables Spoons to increase their relevance in the Lickables’ game. To launch the product, we created Patches—a cool DJ cat, far too cool to hang with dad… until dad brings out a secret spoon-shaped weapon Patches can’t resist. Comms went live across online video platforms, and it was certainly noticed. The ad supported strong distribution across US retailers, with the highest total sales distribution of any first-year lickable treat launch. Year one sales hit $7.7M, making Spoons a key contributor to Temptations hitting its $1B brand target by 2025.