'Grumpy Cat' (real name 'Tardar Sauce') is the owner of the face that has launched a thousand memes (and that would be something of a modest estimate), so it was only a matter of time before the advertising world got it's paws into her. The cat who has (since exploding onto the world wide web in 2012) “ghost written” a book, launched her own range of merchandise, “spoken” on behalf of Friskies cat food, and is even due to star in her very own movie this Christmas, will next be appearing on our screens in a TV spot for Honey Nut Cheerios.
Grumpy Cat has “ghost written” a book, launched her own range of merchandise, “spoken” on behalf of Friskies cat food, and is even due to star in her very own movie
In a new 30-second TV spot from Saatchi & Saatchi New York, everyone's favourite misery guts will be introduced to Honey Nut Cheerios and its perpetually positive mascot, Buzz the bee. The meeting goes about as swimmingly as one would expect, as Buzz attempts to raise a smile out of Grumpy (who actually suffers from a combination of feline dwarfism and a serious underbite according to Wikipedia), who refuses to play ball. The punchline comes via a tagline that informs Buzz the perennially perturbed feline actually is smiling, which (as one would expect), causes Buzz to flee in terror towards his beloved breakfast cereals. 'Grumpy' will also be promoting the cereal via her very own Twitter and Facebook accounts, which have racked up over 200,000 and just under 6 million followers respectively.
Gail Peterson, the marketing associate director for Honey Nut Cheerios, believes that “Putting Grumpy Cat in an ad where Buzz is trying to get her to eat some (Honey Nut Cheerios), and showing that he's surprised she thinks she won't like it, is a nice way to land the message that it's the cereal that families can agree on as a great breakfast choice." She says that when it comes to the Honey Nut Cheerios mascot, the company are always “Trying to find unique situations and people and things for him to interact with." She believes they might have found the perfect partner in Grumpy Cat, because she "Appeals to everyone", and "Lives predominantly in the digital and social spaces, so when you layer all of that together, she seems like a great fit for the message."
'Grumpy' will also be promoting the cereal via her very own Twitter and Facebook accounts, which have racked up over 200,000 and just under 6 million followers respectively
The spot is the latest part of a new marketing strategy for cereal giant, General Mills, who are trying to aim their products towards young adults. They also recently rolled out a campaign for Wheaties called “Wheaties Next Challenge,” in which the brand as their consumers to choose the next athlete who will adorn the cover of their cereal boxes, sidestepping 'conventional' sports in favour of more modern sports such as mixed martial arts and motocross. Whilst the “Buzz Meets Grumpy Cat” spot and the Wheaties initiative might lead some to believe the company are still finding their voice with this new direction, the ideas are there and with Saatchi & Saatchi NY now on board, the future seems very bright indeed.
Official Saatchi & Saatchi New York Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from the UK who wakes up most Sunday mornings looking almost exactly like Grumpy Cat.
