Dive Brief:
- Meow Mix has reinvented its iconic jingle for modern audiences with several remixes aimed at fans different musical styles, the company revealed in a press announcement. The J.M. Smucker Company brand has redone the song in four new genres for fans of R&B, Latin music, heavy metal and country.
- The R&B version, "Luna," is about a cat chanteuse with a litter box full of diamonds. The "Heart & Paws" edition is a country ballad. "Endless Hiss" is the high octane metal version of the track. "Gatocito" is the Latin version.
- All four music tracks are available on meowmix.com, Spotify and YouTube. Video ads for the campaign will run on TV. The effort will also have a presence online, on digital radio and social and via a dedicated landing page at meowmix.com. The campaign is Publicis Groupe's Power of One (PSOne) team's first work for the brand.
Dive Insight:
At last count, CNN said there were 6.5 billion cat images on the internet. For a cat food brand like Meow Mix, this means it has the potential to broaden it reach and create a viral campaign by giving the internet what it loves — entertaining cat content.
Whether the cat owner is a fan of heavy metal, country or Latin jams, Meow Mix has provided videos it hopes will be worth posting and sharing with friends.
By reimagining its classic jingle for modern music tastes and an era where more consumers are listening on platforms like Spotify, the brand is offering up a playful take on an established brand tradition.
Brand jingles have seen their role as a marketing tool shrink, with some industry experts even saying the jingle is dead. But while a number of companies are working with established musicians to create original songs, brands like Meow Mix see an opportunity to breath new life into their jingles by taking advantage of digital trends, including the popularity of short entertaining videos and streaming.
In a similar move, earlier this year Mars Wrigley brand Juicy Fruit asked Canadian consumers to vote on their favorite version of its new jingle in an effort to connect with Gen Z.
A key element of the strategy for Meow Mix is using music to get in front of broad range of costumers.
"Cat lovers and music fans are both incredibly passionate, so why not marry two passion-driven fandoms and give everyone something really fresh and memorable," Jason Gorman, executive creative director at PSOne, said in a press statement.
