• by Tanya Gazdik , September 14, 2011

Cat's Pride is launching a campaign to support its new cat litter, a lighter version of scoopable litter that promises easier transport of those historically heavy containers.

The new formula -- which is 25% lighter than traditional scoopable litter -- blends calcium bentonite and sodium bentonite. The new patented formula could give the company, currently ranked fifth in market share, a boost in sales and brand recognition.

The campaign includes television, digital, print, trade show promotions, an iPad app for product sellers, and social media -- all from Southfield, Mich.-based Doner.

The company is newly targeting women ages 25-52 who are users of scoopable cat litter, says Lisa Mak, senior brand manager of Oil-Dri Corp. of America, the owner of Cat's Pride litter.

"This new target is more expansive than in the past, covering a broader age range and income level," Mak tells Marketing Daily . "Through the use of CGI technology, we were able to add humor to the campaign and feature cats performing very un-catlike actions helping to set us apart from the competition -- something that we expect this revolutionary product to continue to do."

TV spots use computer-generated imagery to show cats doing human-like activities, such as giving back rubs. The television portion of the campaign was produced through a partnership with The Moving Picture Company (MPC), a London-based company known for work on such films as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the "Harry Potter" series.

The marketing strategy included a teaser campaign, with the theme "Rock the Box," at the American Pets Products Association Trade Show to increase interest in the new product. Through the development of an iPad application, retailers had the opportunity to learn more about Fresh & Light more easily.

The campaign broke on Monday. TV spots will be airing on networks including Bravo, Discovery, Fox News, History, Lifetime, TBS, Oxygen and USA. The trade print runs as false covers for Pet Business and Mass Market Retailers. Consumer print is running in the Walmart magazine AllYou in September and October and Walmart World (sent to Walmart employees). There will also be a direct mail piece that is scheduled to drop on Sept. 15.

Doner designed and implemented social media strategies for Cat's Pride, starting with moving away from a traditional Web site and onto Facebook as the primary site for the brand. The page -- which can be viewed at www.facebook.com/catspride, along with Twitter and YouTube -- serves as a portal for cat lovers, allowing consumers to share their passion for their pets, receive advice and learn about new products.

The campaign includes the tagline "Changing Litter for Good," which represents the intent behind Fresh & Light, making the lives of consumers easier while also being a little kinder to the environment. The lighter-weight litter allows more packages to fit on a full truckload, therefore requiring fewer trucks and less fuel to transport the same amount of cat litter to stores and hopefully reducing the carbon footprint. It also helps cat owners to avoid the struggle associated with lifting heavy packages of litter.