What it had to solve
Temptations, America's No. 1 cat treat, wanted entertaining digital content that could reach the millions who watch cat videos every day and nudge owners to treat their cats when they treat themselves.
How it works
A full '80s-style music video directed by Ninian Doff through Pulse Films, plus a 30-second spot, launched on Temptations' Facebook and YouTube, with cutdowns to follow and support from Snapchat Discovery and BuzzFeed partnerships.
What it did
The launch film anchored the 'Treat Them Too' campaign across social platforms; no performance numbers were disclosed in the coverage.
Background
In August 2016 Temptations launched 'Treat Them Too', a campaign built on a blunt category insight: only half of cat owners treat their cats. The first digital content release was a 1980s-style music video starring the Electric Furs, a fictitious band made up of real cats 'singing' and playing instruments, performing a feline rendition of Simple Minds' 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Ninian Doff through Pulse Films, the video takes a tongue-in-cheek look at how cats might convince their humans to remember the treats. 'Cat videos are brilliant fun, and millions of people watch them every day,' said Richard Brim, executive creative director at adam&eveDDB. 'In order to reach that audience, we made a music video starring the Electric Furs, with one simple message — reminding cat owners to Treat Them Too.'
The full music video and a 30-second spot went live on Temptations' Facebook and YouTube channels, with shorter cutdowns planned for social, backed by partnerships on Snapchat Discovery and BuzzFeed and further integrated marketing efforts.
Why it lands
The category problem was neglect, not awareness — so the fix had to be a reminder people would actually choose to watch.
A shot-by-shot '80s band parody gives cat lovers a format they already share, with the brand message riding inside the joke.
Real cats 'performing' a cover song doubles the internet's two favourite things: cats and nostalgia.
What you can take
If your audience already watches cat videos, don't interrupt them — become one, with a song and a hook good enough to be shared on its own merits.
Since then
As of 2016-08-09 the video was live on Temptations' Facebook and YouTube with cutdowns and platform partnerships rolling out in the following weeks as the anchor of the Treat Them Too campaign.
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