The relaunch of Whiskas’ "Tasty Textures" cat food in Australia by Mars Pet Care features a new animated 3D purple cat that has so far appeared in two of its televised ads as well as establishing an online presence at a website dedicated to the product and its new mauve mascot, dubbed The Cat Lounge.
Instead of the usual feline actors, the brand seems to have made some cutbacks by focusing on one active human character with a CGI kitty-companion in one of its commercials shown here. This new purple ‘spokescat’ makes another appearance at a new interactive site for the product that is currently being developed that also allows online visitors to collaborate in its process.
At The Cat Lounge, human fans of the Whiskas brand can find downloadable treats created especially to be used with Windows Live Messengers that include Purple Cat winks, profile pics, backgrounds, and even emoticons of the brand’s new virtual kitty.
Developed by Whybin TBWA in Melbourne, Whiskas’ CGI direction is an unsurprising one in coping with today’s economy, but this newest campaign would surely be seen as a real sucker punch for struggling feline actors.
CGI Spokescats
Whiskas Replaces Real Cats With 3D Purple Feline in Commercials
Trend Themes
1. CGI Spokescats - Opportunity to use CGI technology to create virtual mascots in advertising campaigns.
2. Virtual Collaborative Platforms - Opportunity to develop interactive websites that allow online visitors to collaborate in the product development process.
3. Digital Brand Merchandise - Opportunity to create downloadable digital merchandise related to a brand, such as profile pics and emoticons.
Industry Implications
1. Pet Food - Opportunity for pet food brands to use CGI spokescats as virtual mascots in their advertising.
2. Advertising - Opportunity for advertising agencies to develop virtual collaborative platforms for brand campaigns.
3. Digital Marketing - Opportunity for digital marketers to create digital brand merchandise as part of promotional strategies.