SHEBA Teaches Pet Owners the Art of the Cat Kiss in Cute Social Campaign

Mars Petcare brand SHEBA is helping pet owners connect with their feline familiars in a new campaign revealing the art of the cat kiss, created by AMV BBDO.

Cats unfairly have a reputation as being cold and unaffectionate leading some owners to believe their cat doesn’t even like them. But the real problem is that cats express their love in ways that humans don’t always understand. A new study carried out by researchers from the University of Sussex and the University of Portsmouth has provided new insight into feline behaviour. The research has proven you can win over your feline friends by narrowing your eyes and slow blinking at them. The cat is also more likely to reciprocate the slow blink in return of their owner’s initiation. 

SHEBA wants to make sure every cat owner recognises this sign of affection – and knows how to reciprocate – so it briefed AMV BBDO to build a campaign to raise awareness of the cat kiss.

At its heart is a SHEBA-branded Snapchat lens, that educates participants about how to cat kiss, featuring the iconic SHEBA Russian Blue cat. The lens is gamified so that participants master the action. The player must register three successful slow blinks in synchronicity with the Russian blue in order to receive love hearts and affection – and possibly unlock a discount coupon for SHEBA Cat Food.

Ed Owen, European brand director for SHEBA, said: “SHEBA has a mission to provide experiences which help build connections between cat parents and their cats. When we realised how few people understood that a cat slow blinking is a sign of affection, we decided it was time to get the cat kiss message out there and AMV’s campaign is a great place to start, explaining it in such a succinct, memorable way.”

Creatives at AMV BBDO, Jamie Chang and Rachel Tweedy, added: “Most cat owners think their cat hates them. Of course, this isn't true, you just don’t understand them! SHEBA want to help you master the feline language of love so you can spot when your cat is showing you affection. We can’t wait to get cats and their owners slow blinking at each other and deepening their special bond."

The campaign breaks in the UK today, and is also running in Germany.