How Dreamies help 'cat borrowers' lure our feline friends away

The Background

Dreamies are basically crack for cats.

They bloody love the things. Anyone with a cat will know. Our feline friends are like us, they love treats that taste great, are made by Mars, and aren’t great for them. Added to that they even do a cheese flavour which is properly weird.

Perhaps not the most glamorous of righteous of brands to receive a brief from, but you’ve got one thing on your side – cats can exploit their cuteness and grab people’s attention.

The Big Idea

Despite cats being an audience favourite they have instead concentrated on people, but not cat owners.

Instead they’ve highlighted the creeps desperate for a bit of your cat’s attention – what they call ‘cat borrowers’, shaking packs of Dreamies to entice your kitty their way.

What They Did

The three ads were created as part of the campaign showing different neighbours vying for a visit from your cat.

One, fronted by an older lady, says that when she’s not gossiping about you she’s luring your cat her way.

Another shows a man enticing a group of cats to impress a woman whilst the third has a horror movie feeling about it as kids borrow your cat to play with as their mother won’t let them have one.

Each ad finishes with “All it takes is a shake”, something that will resonate with anyone that’s had to try and get their cat to return home.

The Review

I like how these ads play on one of the stranger parts of cat ownership, the fact your cat can pretty much end up wherever it pleases or, in this case, wherever your strange neighbours lure it. It’s a nice flip on the crazy cat lady stereotype and its most definitely a truth of kitties in the UK – so many are cheating on their owners with generous neighbours.

The way the ads address the viewer adds to the comedy, grabbing the viewer’s attention and helping the whole creepiness come across. “All it takes is a shake” is also undeniably effective and immediately a line that you can recall as being Dreamies and not another cat food brand.

In Hindsight

Some might say they’re encouraging cat borrowing and as one of the adam&eveDDB quotes says: “we only ask that consumers use Dreamies in a responsible way”. However, cats are so stubborn that if someone genuinely wanted to use Dreamies in an irresponsible way, your cat would probably figure it out and instead wander back into Jim and Debra’s warm living room. Walking in like it owns the place despite being four doors down from yours.

I’m not sure it will genuinely grow the market by increasing purchases by creepy cat borrowers as it has suggested, but who knows, maybe I’ll be seeing a lot less of our own cat.