Ad Snacking: A Thanksgiving Fancy Feast! (For Your Cat)

Each week in Ad Snacking, former advertising executive-turned-chef Eli Sussman takes a close look at a recent food advertisement. He'll keep the copy short to guarantee the R.O.I. for procrastinating at your desk stays high.

I know many cat owners, and their obsession with their pet knows no bounds. Cat owners can often be — what's the word I'm looking for here — enthusiastic about cats. They ignore the sassiness, general disdain, consistent destruction and hairballs because they love their cats. But this Fancy Feast commercial implying that cats deserve gravy on Thanksgiving, same as humans, is ridiculous because cats are cats and they deserve cat food. This commercial plays on the emotions of the cat owner that they can't feed their cats normal Fancy Feast around Thanksgiving time. God forbid your genius cat will realize it's Thanksgiving and feel left out of the whole turkey and gravy part of the evening. We wouldn't want your cat to feel less important than say, a human. So here comes Fancy Feast with the solution.

No need to exclude your cat from national holidays anymore. That's right, your sassy cat that already gets whatever it wants just got itself a seasonal flavor.

Product: B

Was calling it "Mouse Mousse" too offensive a flavor name?

Cats will eat anything. You know how I know? I've seen cats eating garbage. And I've heard from aforementioned enthusiasts that cats eat mice, birds and basically whatever else they can get at. Cats are miniature tigers. If they could eat your face, they totally would. Let me make it clear: I have no problem with an owner spoiling their pet. But since when do cats get human privileges to the extent they are receiving their own seasonal flavors? Is Fancy Feast coming out with a Latke flavor for Jewish cats on Hanukah? Is Fancy Feast releasing an Eggnog flavor come Christmas? (If either of these flavors are happening I will seriously be in my underground bunker because it'll mean the apocalypse is coming).

Message: C –

My Cat Already Makes Me feel Guilty Enough

Cats are great at the staredown. You know that face cats make. Cats faces always seem to be saying "you're an idiot."

"Yeah, put that glass there, human. Now watch me knock it off and shatter it. Idiot."

"Oh yeah, buy that brand-new couch. Now watch me claw the hell out of it. Idiot."

I don't know what's more sad: a) that Fancy Feast thinks some advertisement will guilt cat owners into buying fancy gravy-flavored cat food so their cat can be on equal footing with them come Thanksgiving dinner; or b) that it will work.

Creativity: D

Where's The Beef (Gravy?)

This is a terrible commercial based on visuals, content and copy. It's a super-generic Thanksgiving kitchen scene, and the food looks unappealing and plastic. The whole commercial is tied into everyone's love of gravy, and there isn't even a gratuitous food porn closeup of gravy cascading off food! But this is a unique Adsnacking ad, because it's not about food for humans. It's about showing your cat how much you love him or her during a time of thanks. So this Thanksgiving, will cat owners of America who see this commercial rush out to pick up some Fancy Feast in Thanksgiving gravy flavor? Fancy Feast is betting you will. Happy Thanksgiving, America. I'll be in my bunker.


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