It started in the 1930's when the company Carnation began selling Friskies as a dog food as their sales in condensed milk were dwindling. After World War II they began making Friskies for dogs. It was so successful they created Little Friskies for cats in 1956. 4 years later they would drop dogs from the label and make it simply Friskies for cats.
Why is any of this relevant? Well, advertising has done something great in the way that the Friskies brand has personified cats. Yes, personified cats. Ad week tells us that because of Friskies' clever advertisements, "A 2009 AP poll revealed that half of all Americans consider cats to be full members of the family, and 43 percent say their cats have their own 'sense of style.'”
Source: Friskies.com
How did this happen? Friskies' subtlety worded advertisements lead the reader into believing that a cat has human qualities. Calling a cat "she" instead of "it", providing food names that you'd order out of a menu instead of plop into a cat's food dish, and portraying the cat as acting in a way that is autonomous. It may seem like a long process, but in time Friskies' has portrayed cats in a whole new dimension.
Source: Adweek
I think that Friskies has a good marketing strategy. The personification of cats in their ads will appeal to cat lovers like myself who will see their ads and believe that the company actually does care for the animals. It's easier to support a company if you feel they are sincere in what they do.
ReplyDeleteI like their entire approach. The ad in your post is stylish, humorous and all-around effective. It is certainly true that for many people who have pets, they become integral members of their family. It is great business for a company that produces products for household pets to keep this in mind and use it to their advantage.