• by Tanya Gazdik , October 15, 2020

Two Mars Petcare brands are capitalizing on the spooky season with activations designed for both four-legged friends and their caretakers. 

This Friday, the Temptations treats brand will premiere “Scaredy Cat,” a horror movie for cats, at 6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube. 

The four-minute movie, produced by creative agency adam&eveDDB, follows a cat through a haunted house, until the story culminates in the kitchen with the feline’s worst fear -- a cucumber. The story was inspired by the countless internet videos of cats being truly startled by these seemingly ordinary vegetables.

The Temptations brand worked with the Waltham Petcare Science Institute to enhance the movie with specific sound frequencies aimed to capture cats’ attention.

The promotional campaign for the movie was developed to mimic a blockbuster movie launch, including a teaser trailer, movie reviews from famous cat influencers, an IMDB page and a Friday night movie premiere, as well as organic social content from the brand’s channels, custom content from cat influencers and PR support. 

In addition to the YouTube premiere, the movie will be available to viewers on Amazon Fire TV and through a paid promotion with Roku devices.

To celebrate the Halloween season, the brand also released limited-edition Temptations Creepy Catnip Treats.

Mars’ Crave pet food brand also is getting in on the seasonal fun. The brand is  launching the first phase of its Moonrise Mayhem campaign. 

During select full moons throughout the calendar year, dogs and pet parents can get wild and tap into their ancestral urges. The inaugural program — #FierceMyFace — kicks off with a sweepstakes. Consumers who make themselves look like wolves could win a chance to live like one. 

The challenge is on until the Full Hunter's Blue Moon rises on Halloween night.

Crave is teaming up with a pack of dog-loving makeup and beauty influencers including Bailey Sarian, Jose Jimenez, Rachel Iwanysyzn, Alex Rivera and Mia Anjelica to help people unleash their wild side with wolf-inspired Halloween looks via Instagram posts. The effort also includes spooky GIPHY Instagram stickers.

By creating their own fierce transformations on Instagram, the influencer crew will inspire fans to share their own for a chance to win one grand prize of $5,000 to transform their home to live like a wolf, along with a one-year supply of Crave dog food.

"We’ll help trick out the winner's home to look & feel like a real (and real-fun) wolf den, tailored to fit their space whether it’s a studio apartment or acres of land," according to a Mars Petcare spokesperson. "The winner will receive $5,000 and our recommendation for décor inspired by wolves' real habitats and habits...think a full-moon lamp, plush pillows that look like stones and logs, faux sheepskin dog bed and outdoor agility gear."

Five runners up will receive $1,000 and a one-year supply of Crave dog food. 

To enter, consumers can share their fiercest wolf look on Instagram or IG Stories with #FierceMyFace and @CravePetFoods. The winning looks of the #FierceMyFace program will be selected based on creativity, originality and overall fierceness. 

Weber Shandwick is the lead creative agency, with support from Mediacom and Barefoot Proximity.