BACKGROUND

Sheba is a challenger brand in the US, with just 2.6% market share and a fraction of the budget of key competitors. In a saturated market filled with visuals of adorable kittens all vying for your attention, our task was to create a campaign that would stand out. We discovered that 1 in 4 owners are allergic to cats but have them anyway. So we used this surprising fact to create a completely unexpected way to reach new kitten parents, pushing the edges of our brand positioning ‘resistance is futile’. This is especially important because 40% of cat owners who purchase a brand in the Kitten stage will go on to purchase the same brand in adult-stage - the potential lifetime value is immense.

CREATIVE IDEA

We are neurologically wired to find kittens irresistible, but their true power was realised when we discovered that 1 in 4 cat owners are allergic to cats and still can’t resist. Owners will endure swollen eyes, itchy skin and sore noses if it means they get to experience the joy of giving in to their furry friends.

We originally made this discovery in an old research paper, conducted by the Humane Society of the United States. To ensure the statistic remained true, we conducted our own survey of 1001 people, and uncovered the incredible truth that nearly half of these owners have not one, but two cats in the household.

This beautiful yet unusual partnership of purring kittens and puffy eyes was brought to life in the ‘you’ll do anything for a kitten’ campaign.

THE STRATEGY 

This campaign was all about celebrating those who willingly endure an allergic reaction to get a cuddle. To treat these symptoms, cat owners will stock up on antihistamines and tissues, something they venture out to their nearest pharmacy to get. So, that’s where we showed up, next to pharmacies all over New York, 100 different sites. As a challenger brand it was a tactical move, be targeted with media, but disruptive with our message. Plus, we knew being next to large pharmacies that these placements would both have a large number of eyes on them and a sizable footfall, great for a product launch.

THE EXECUTION

In the category filled with ‘my kitten looking cute’ content, we made lovesick owners the unmissable faces of our campaign: swollen, burning, and completely in love. The campaign, featuring the 1 in 4 statistic directly, ran across YouTube, Yahoo and TikTok; in print, with titles such as the New York Daily, as well as more than 100 site-specific out-of-home screens near large pharmacies in New York City. Given that this was a new product launch, we’d need both mass awareness and product in hand, so we offered discounts off a pack of Sheba Kitten via QR codes too.  We also provided redeemable vouchers in our online videos and sent out starter packs to kitten owning micro-influencers. Comprising branded tissues, a free pack of Sheba Kitten and a beautiful leaflet that explained how we were marking this special occasion, encouraging them to share on social.

RESULTS 

Sheba’s social mentions increased by 72%, leading to a 58% increase in our online share of voice. The campaign earned 289% more impressions than we paid for, 17m just in the first 2 days. Positive sentiment turned out to be exceptionally high, 89% vs 39% industry average - the ads were highly liked by the audience. 2000 vouchers were distributed in the first three days.

On social media, ‘CatAllergy’ has 4.4million tags. It’s a community that is proud of its inability to resist their loveable felines. We targeted this very active and vocal community to gain an unfair share of attention in a massively oversaturated category.