Cravendale: thumbs up to #CatsWithThumbs and the sequel

You’ve seen the first ‘Cats With Thumbs‘ haven’t you? It was one of those ideas which evokes the ‘I wish I had thought of that’ in us advertising folks. It was fun (very difficult to do in a ‘serious’ category like Milk), bold, a creative leap and relevant to the category. And ‘oh so British; ( the voice of Tim Curry and ‘jog on kitties’ – were lovely touches). Don’t go looking for a product benefit, differentiator and wonder if the idea is anchored in that product differentiator. With ‘Milk Matters‘ and other stuff the brand is doing on their website (the Q&A section is ‘Wise Old Cow‘; the site is created by Outside Line whose portfolio is pretty impressive) the attempt is to convey a leadership stance. ‘Cats with Thumbs’ and the extent to which they could go to steal the milk from you is a charming creative twist. And very much ‘milkable’ in new media.

A sequel has been released now and the idea gets even better: cats have conspired to kidnap milkmen. That’s a fantastic way of taking forward the original idea and the embellishments make it even better: the creation of an evil character Bertram Thumbcat, charming copy (‘catnapped’, ‘brainwashed by the Thumbcat regime’) and clever use of Facebook & Twitter. There is a Facebook page created for Bertram Thumbcat (Public Figure!) whose ‘about’ description is: Domestic tabby with opposable thumbs. Plan to use polydactyl power (and enormous brain) to take over the world (and steal all the Cravendale milk therein). The Twitter feed is also a first person account of Bertram Thumbcat. Sample tweet:

For those fearing what will happen when cats take over the world, fear not: bar more equal sharing of milk, it will be basically the same.

— Bertrum Thumbcat (@BertrumThumbcat) September 8, 2012

Here’s the TVC:

Agency: W+K

What is interesting to note is the way the Facebook & Twitter pages have been created – it is so different from what we are used to in India. There are no overt ‘Like Us’ or ‘Click on this now!’ posts, no unconnected random current affairs photo and thankfully no posts on Monday morning blues (which are all standard posts from all brands in India) . The posts are ‘within character, full of with and charm and evokes willing participation. Regular announcements are done in style:

It seems my masterplan has been aired on primetime television. Good. Everything is as it should be. (Please note, friendly humans will always be welcome after we take over the world and claim our fair share of the milk. “Evil” is a very strong word…)

For those worried about our plan (glimpses of which can be seen here: http://youtu.be/QWYU6Dt7aMQ) let me reassure you the milkmen are being treated very kindly. This, for example, is purest angora.

My brilliant new masterplan is revealed. Quake as you watch it, milk-loving humans! #CatsWithThumbs

Emerging from my secret lair for dinner. My humans joke about the fact I’ve been sleeping all day. Little do they suspect…

(I’ve only been sleeping *most* of the day. Brilliant plans don’t make themselves, you know)

Ditto with the Twitter feed. There is definitely someone who understands the brand and the medium at work here. Digital agencies in India, please note. The Facebook page also has a ‘recruitment drive’ for the Thumbcat Army app.

All of this is bound to get the oohs and aahs going, even from non-cat lovers. I loved the idea of sequel and its use in new media. You like?