Influencers Share the Love for Feline Friends in Hartz Valentine's Campaign

In 2024, pet owners spent a whopping $1.5 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets. For cat families in particular, 'My Cat Is My Valentine' is a trending sentiment.

To celebrate the most romantic day of the year, leading petcare brand Hartz, which is owned by Japanese CPG giant Unicharm, as well as creative and media agency of record, Cutwater, have teamed together to launch an influencer-led activation for Delectables, America’s #1 wet cat treat* (*based on 2024 Circana data).

The activation, affectionately titled '#BeMyMainSqueezeUp', partners with cat personalities and digital creators to spread the love with their feline friends. Driven by a series of social shorts, the pieces unveil a limited edition, heart-shaped box filled with NOT chocolate, but… Delectables Squeeze Up instead! Audiences are encouraged to submit videos and pictures of their cats with their favourite Delectables Squeeze Up treats for the chance to win their own special box. 

The influencer collaborations boast top names, such as Pearl’s Ragdolls (@pearlsragdolls), Champagne (@champagneunicorns), and DieselCat | Memes (@itsdieselcat). The work will be supported by organic efforts and paid media on Instagram.

“Beyond the current Delectables community, we partnered with key cat parent influencers based on their visual aesthetic and active following”, explains Cutwater head of social media Kristyn Mangiamele. “We’ve received a tremendous volume of entries, garnering around 1.9 M impressions and over 12 K engagements. We look forward to highlighting the winners.”

The endeavour builds upon the existing 'Deliciously De-Lick-able Delectables' brand platform, which was also developed and executed by Cutwater. It comes on the heels of the recent 'When They Want a Delectables Squeeze Up, You’ll Know' integrated, national campaign ('No Work ‘Til Squeeze Up' and 'No Yoga ‘Til Squeeze Up') as well as the brand’s first-ever exhibition at CatCon 2024, the world’s largest cat convention.

Hartz director of marketing (Cat Treats) Louisa Guo adds, “The social space can be highly reactive and cluttered, so we wanted to identify the cultural moments that made the most sense for Delectables to really invest in. With Delectables Squeeze Up’s red box, heart logo, and the product’s unique delivery format to help people bond with their cats, Valentine’s Day was a perfect match. The internet finds cats irresistibly cute, and cats find our product irresistibly delicious - Cupid could not come up with a better pairing!”

According to Cutwater creative director Amy Su, “Let's be honest. For cat parents, their real Valentine is their furry friend. We knew the cat community would appreciate being able to gift their main squeeze their favourite treat, Delectables Squeeze Up, especially in an adorable, heart-shaped box. It's a way for cat owners to express their love for their pet in a playful and heartfelt way.”

Cat enthusiasts can engage in more fun with Delectables across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.