Heard any plausible [I guess we could say “pawsible”] cat-poop conspiracies lately? Advertising agency Humanaut has created a LOL worthy online video campaign that is designed to drive traffic and awareness for the PetSafe(R)’s ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box.
The work is anchored by a two-minute “Catspiracies” film shot from the felines’ POV. In the cynical spot, cats observe their owners’ odd behavioral shift after purchasing the time and touch-saving ScoopFree device, which sweeps the waste out of sight and smell once the pet is done with its business. Some of their theories:
“Open your eyes people, they’re using us for our poo”
“All we know for certain is that our feces must be very valuable”
“Are they fueling their moving couches (cars) with feces?”
“Why else would they have invented this crazy high-tech poop-harvesting machine with crystals and motion sensors!?”
“They’re always staring at their hand rectangles, could it be that humans are harvesting our turds to trade with other humans on their secret black turd market?”
“People dread having to scoop the litter box every day, but from a cat’s perspective it must seem like poop is really important,” explains David Littlejohn, Humanaut Chief Creative Director. “We had a lot of fun imagining the feline conspiracy theories that this super smart, self-cleaning litter box would spark in the cat world.”
The Scoop-Free work broke on Facebook & YouTube, and future buys will be optimized based on performance. The creative, which is Humanaut’s first work for the brand, was also edited in: 30 and: 15 increments. Static banner ads that resemble memes link to a Catspiracies landing page [catspiracy.com] that bears the marks of crude conspiracy websites, such as flashing lights and a tendency to exaggerate punctuation.
“Are humans using us for our poo?” the site asks. “Millions of cats believe humans are harvesting their poo for profit using the ScoopFree Litter Box. Watch the video and decide for yourself!!”
Lower down, gif boxes show how the machine works and are accompanied by explanatory text, blurbs, such as, “Magic odor-capturing crystals entrap your butt nugget's smells” and “A robot arm sweeps your deposit into the harvesting box (SPOOKY!!!).”
While presumably created by cats, for cats, the creative is actually designed to appeal to cat owners who use technology and like to read, cook and shop. The coveted Cat Lady demo—affluent females age 45-65 who own two or more cats—is the sweet spot.
CREATIVE CREDITS:
Advertising Agency: Humanaut, Chattanooga, TN (USA)
Creative Director — David Littlejohn
Strategy — Andrew Clark
Account Director — Michelle Sturgis
Art Director — Bryan Denman
Copywriter — Liza Behles, Andy Pearson
Design Director — Stephanie Gelabert
Designers — Guillermo Casanova, Coleson Amon
Production Company — Humanaut Productions
Director — Dan Jacobs
DP — Sean Webley
Producer — Tommy Wilson
Line Producer — Lisa Stark
Lead Editor — Kyler Potter (Fancy Rhino)
Editor — Tyler Beasley (Fancy Rhino)
Animal Casting — Greg Smith Aldridge (Georgia Animal Actors)
VO Casting — Jill Kershaw (Sound and Fury)