Meow Mix gets a long jingle to jangle people’s nerves

Meow Mix is testing pet owners’ eardrums and patience with a 12-hour “Meow-a-Thon” nostalgia play of the brand’s iconic 1980s jingle.

As part of a contest, the Smucker brand is launching a half-day “Meow-A-Thon” video, in what it calls a “unique Canadian execution,” as a pre-roll on YouTube and the Meow Mix website to offer prizes and introduce the brand to younger consumers. Nineteen unique coupon codes will be revealed throughout the video as audio only and there is an Ultimate Reward Pack for those dedicated enough to reach the end.

“It’s much more engaging than straightforward couponing,” Adam Zitney, vice president of marketing at J.M. Smucker, tells strategy. “We are expecting a lot of engagement. We don’t have a massive media plan behind it, we’ll see how it goes, and if we get good engagement and awareness with the first stage, maybe we’ll invest in a second.”

For the campaign, the company’s 1980s jingle was re-recorded using real voice talent to stay true to the original, “delivering a nostalgic tune that resonates with cat devotees,” Zitney says, adding that existing consumers familiar with the tune are toward the older end of the demographic spectrum, which is why Meow Mix is trying to “actively refill that pipeline.”

To help with that, Smucker has relaunched its Meow Mix base sizes so they are more affordable, and it is starting to present its innovations to the retail trade, Zitney adds.

Leo Burnett is the creative shop and Spark Foundry is the buyer. The campaign launched Tuesday and the 12-hour video will run as a YouTube pre-roll ad for four weeks.