According to cat food brand Whiskas, internet searches for low-maintenance dog breeds have doubled in the past year, with more people looking for dogs that don’t bark, need to be trained or even taken out for walks.
For the Mars-owned brand, such a ‘dog’ does exist and it’s called the Meowzer (a cat in actuality).
‘We realised the perfect dog already exists. All it needed was a name change,’ said Kimberley Ragan, creative director at Colenso BBDO Group, Auckland, the agency behind the campaign, in a press release.
In March 2024, with production partner BUCK, the brand made a series of short film ads for the New Zealand market that showcase the Meowzer as the answer to people’s prayers. Whiskas ensured that people searching for easy-to-care-for dogs would be shown the Meowzer instead, by targeting them based on their digital footprint. All campaign touchpoints linked to a dedicated website where prospective pet owners could take a quiz to find their ‘purr-fect’ match.
The campaign advances the brand’s mission to end pet homelessness by helping people find the right pet for them, thereby reducing the number of dogs being taken back to the shelter.
On Instagram, dog photographer Elias Weiss Friedman (@TheDogist) promoted the campaign, while TikTok creator @Puppysongs created a song to rack up views for #Meowzer.
Additional dog and cat influencers will join the movement as the campaign rolls out, complemented by OOH ads, both posters and digital.
