• by Christine Champagne , April 4, 2011

Traditionally, Cravendale, a brand of milk sold in the UK by Arla Foods, releases a TV commercial, and then supports it with print. But Wieden + Kennedy London convinced its client to forego magazine and newspaper ads and instead rely on social media to support "Cats With Thumbs," a clever spot that finds a gang of Cravendale-craving felines sprouting opposable thumbs, brushing up on military strategy (and needlepoint, too) and forming an army with one objective - quenching its thirst for Cravendale.

The social media strategy paid off: Since "Cats With Thumbs" was posted on YouTube in late February, it has earned more than 1.6 million page views, and Bertrum Thumbcat, the star of the commercial and leader of the polydactyl cat movement, has gained a devoted band of followers on Facebook and Twitter. In fact, a little more than a week after the spot debuted, Bertrum Thumbcat had already amassed more than 17,000 Facebook fans who eagerly comment on and "like" his every post - yet more proof that cats rule the Internet.

"People love cats, the Internet loves cats, and we knew that if we did [social media] the right way, we could potentially engage a lot of people," W + K creative Sam Heath says, noting Bertrum Thumbcat's online voice is carefully crafted. "We've tried hard to keep it fun and frivolous, rather than corporate and all about selling Cravendale. It's all about telling a story that involves Cravendale, and it's been really interesting for us to see how you can take a story and keep running with it and have people wanting to engage with it."