The cat’s mother …
or the cat’s spouse?
Creating the voice for a cat food brandSuzi Robinson – [email protected]
Creating the voice
Can a writer boost the fortunes of a vulnerable brand simply by changing its voice?
I say yes, because I’ve done it.
The story opens in a focus group of UK cat owners …
“Our cat is a member of the family!”
In every group, one person says this and the others all nod in agreement.
But I had a theory that the familial relationship is not the same for all cat owners.
I wanted to know what kinds of affection people feel for their cats …
One-to-one conversations
I chatted up cat owners wherever I found them
I began to identify two distinct groups of cat owners
I named them: Cat Mothers and Cat Spouses
Let me tell you about them …
The Cat Mothers
Keen to show you the cat photos on their phone
See their cats as children
Never want their “fur babies” to grow up
Not necessarily empty nesters
Not exclusively female
Cat Mothers: Characteristics
Crave their cats attention and affection
Hate being ignored by their cat
Squeamish about their cat’s hunting
Love buying gifts – treats and toys – for their cat
Cat Mothers: Psychology
Babying the cat gives them permission to be childish themselves, to play games and talk in silly voices
Most understand the therapeutic value of these games and will tell you that it helps them cope with stress
The Cat Spouses
Will bend your ear with a long story about something their cat did and cap it with:
“Our cat is such a character!”
Love cats for their feline qualities … beauty, grace, intelligence, mystery, hunting skills, leaping, purring …
Dazzled by their good fortune that their cat likes them and stays living with them
Cat Spouses: Characteristics
Treat the cat as another adult
Respect cat’s space
Do not mind being ignored
Enjoy trying to guess what the cat is thinking
Cat Spouses: Psychology
Enjoy giving the cat the power in the relationship
Self-deprecating sense of humour – refer to themselves as cat servants or staff
Often high achievers who project their dynamic selves onto their cats
Winston Churchill was a typical Cat Spouse
Theory into practice with GOURMET
All the cat food brands I’d worked on targeted Cat Mothers
I needed a brief that allowed me to reflect the relationship that Cat Spouses have with their cats
And eventually one came along …
Nestle Purina GOURMET “How To Get The Best From Life” Press Campaign 2007-2008 Agency: Beaconbrands
Purina GOURMET is a super-premium wet cat food.
In 2006, UK sales were suffering from low consumer awareness of the brand (10% unaided) compounded by competition from own label ‘super-premium-look-alike’ products.
The Creative Challenge
Had to convert European press campaign – no budget for new photography
White cat portrayed as a lifestyle accessory – did not engage UK consumers
No distinctive voice: Bland corporate copy did not resonate at all with UK consumers
No personality, humour or charm
Meet Archie, role model for aspiring cats
I created Archie, the nation’s most successful cat whose lectures in a series of full page, full colour ads introduced many thousands of up-and-coming cats to the pleasures of GOURMET fine dining
How Archie engages with Cat Spouses
Archie behaves just like any cat – sitting on people’s jumpers, playing with string – but he speaks like the CEO of a FSTE 100 company
Reflects peer-to-peer relationship with Cat Spouses whilst endearing himself to Cat Mothers
Provides plenty of comic opportunities from dramatic irony
Consumer engagement
Advertorials in broadsheet press discussed aspects of feline history such as: Who invented the cat flap?
I gave Cat Spouses a new role - Personal Shoppers - and invited them to contribute …
The highest form of flattery
That so many consumers wrote as their cats demonstrates strong consumer engagement
Here is one of my favourite letters from a typical “cat spouse” as dictated by her cat, Lady Tabitha Golightly
Value of Sales grown by 25%
In the first year alone, this campaign grew the value of GOURMET sales by 25% - without re-launching, price promoting or increasing distribution.
Brand Awareness grown to 30%
And by the end of 2007, spontaneous brand awareness had grown from 10% to 30%.
And then I wrote a novel for all cat lovers
A cast of feline characters that appeals to Cat Mothers and Cat Spouses
The world’s most nutritious cat food has an unforeseen side-effect that makes it extremely valuable and in the wrong hands, very dangerous too …
Find out more at http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Ever-Food-Formula-ebook/dp/B00CQ85XJ2
The only agency devoted to pet care
Thank you to Rick Rowley of Beaconbrands Ltd for giving me the GOURMET brief. It was a joy to work on.
www.beaconbrands.com
Thank you for your time
Please contact me if you would like to talk about a voice for your brand, or your client’s brand
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/suzithewriter
Acknowledgements
Photography credits:
I have made all reasonable efforts to trace copyright owners of downloaded photographs but multiple “shares” have proved frustrating. If copyright owners will please contact me, I will gladly include credits or remove photographs as requested.
Insights & classifications: “Cat Mothers” & “Cat Spouses” are my own creations and are not sponsored by any brand or advertising agency.
At no time do I imply that one group loves their cats more than the other and this should not be inferred.