12 Best Cat Commercials & Ads of All Time (With Videos)
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While marketing a product, you need to find a way to appeal to your target audience’s emotions as most consumers make purchasing decisions based on how they feel. Marketing and advertising agencies know this, and that’s why they often use animals.
Seeing an animal do some cute stuff on TV reminds people of the love they share with their pets.
In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the best cat commercials ever produced.
Top 12 Greatest Cat Commercials & Ads
1. Walter the Cat
| Brand: | Chevy Silverado |
| Year: | 2022 |
For many decades, Chevy has been at the forefront of effective marketing campaigns. And quite frankly, that explains why they’ve been so successful in a market with so many incredible brands.
Last year, they introduced us to Walter. A cute tabby baby who’s been trained to not only herd cattle but also fetch firewood and retrieve sticks. This commercial was and still is so captivating that you’ll be left wondering if there’s a sequel in the works.
2. Dear Kitten: The Art of Massage
| Brand: | Purina Friskies |
| Year: | 2014 |
Nestlé Purina PetCare—popularly known as Purina—specializes in the production of pet litter, treats, and food. Even though they are based in St. Louis, Missouri, it’s the daughter company of the Swiss conglomerate firm Nestlé S.A. Purina teamed up with Buzzfeed, which is an American digital news agency, to produce a series called “Dear Kitten”.
It was virtually impossible to not give this production our seal of approval, seeing as it touched on issues that were so relatable. The narrator is an adult cat who feels morally obligated to help his little brother get acquainted with the things that define life. You’ll see him show his brother how to knead, or as he likes to call it, “The Art of Massage”.
Each episode is about 60 seconds long, and they are all available on Purina’s or Buzzfeed’s YouTube channel.
3. Cats With Thumbs
| Brand: | Cravendale |
| Year: | 2013 |
If you’re interested in watching commercials that would make your ribs hurt, this right here has to be the greatest of all time. It came out in 2013, and to this day, our eyes get watery just from thinking about it. Cravendale clearly understood their assignment, as they went all out to give us a clear picture of what would happen if our feline companions were born with opposable thumbs.
Spoiler Alert: They would all band up and hatch a plot to take over the world. Right after they’re done confiscating all our Cravendale-produced milk.
4. Be More Dog
| Brand: | O2 |
| Year: | 2013 |
Have you ever found yourself wondering if it’s possible for cats to have similar behavioral traits to dogs? And more importantly, would that be a good thing, or just weird? Strangely enough, it seems like we’re not the only people riddled with these questions, as someone in the O2 marketing department had the same thoughts as well.
They scripted a commercial that featured a cat that had the same traits as a dog. Their kitty loved playing catch with frisbees, chasing random cars, digging holes in the yard, running, and even swimming. To ensure the commercial lingered in their listeners’ minds, they decided to also feature the Queen song “Flash.”
5. Cat Herders
| Brand: | EDS |
| Year: | 2000 |
The Super Bowl is without a doubt the biggest sporting event in America, and it has been that way for generations. Brands are cognizant of that fact, and that’s why they always bring their A-game when it comes to premiering their commercials on such a huge stage.
Close to 23 years ago, EDS won our hearts when they gave us what is arguably the cleverest pet commercial of all time. Cats were the main characters in that short skit, but what made the whole thing authentic was that the cowboys were actual cowboys who had zero experience in acting.
In addition to an Emmy nomination, they won a few other awards for an exceptional commercial.
6. All It Takes Is a Shake
| Brand: | Temptations |
| Year: | 2019 |
It’s quite evident that companies are now investing a lot of resources in the creative department. They are now releasing commercials in series, instead of focusing on a one-time thing. Case in point, Temptations’ “Careful What You Shake” holiday cat-sequence.
This particular commercial was released 4 years ago, during Christmas. And it’s about a little kid being chased around by a large herd of hungry cats. We have to hand it to them, because transforming our little fur babies into a stampede of wild animals and making it believable, is no mean feat. The whole series was captivating, and some of us are still yearning for more.
7. Moto: A Love Story
| Brand: | Hill’s |
| Year: | 2020 |
Who wouldn’t want to see and even hear a good love story? And that’s exactly what this commercial is all about. While pandering to the desires of animation lovers, Hill’s told us a story about the unconditional love that Moto shared with his human companion. They stuck together through thick and thin, because they knew they only had each other, and nothing else.
It’s a 2-minute commercial, but by the time they are done, you’ll want to hug your pet and never let go.
8. Sneezing
| Brand: | E-Trade |
| Year: | 2011 |
Morgan Stanley’s subsidiary E-Trade has been in the financial game for what feels like eons. It’s believed to be one of the top e-trading platforms, for anyone looking to trade their financial assets. However, E-trade is smart enough to know you cannot rest on your laurels, just because you’re already playing in the major leagues. That’s why they are often so aggressive with their marketing strategies.
About 12 years back, they premiered a commercial that had a baby who seemed to be very knowledgeable about capital and money markets. And in the background, there was a cute tabby named Pepper, who kept on sneezing, for some reason. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a way to capture your audiences’ attention while advertising your products, go recruit a baby and a cat. It’s proven to be the perfect combo.
9. Meow
| Brand: | DirecTV |
| Year: | 2018 |
DirecTV decided to take the celebrity route when they recruited Taylor Swift to feature in one of their commercials, together with two of her adorable fur babies—Olivia and Meredith. The three of them have been besties for years, but as you’d expect with long-term friendships, tiffs are bound to happen at some point.
Taylor’s furry pals were visibly annoyed and irritated by the fact that their best friend thought it was okay to go perform, leaving them alone in their dressing room. What even makes the whole commercial hilarious is the pun used to deliver the message.
10. Laser Cats
| Brand: | GoPro |
| Year: | 2012 |
This GoPro commercial proved that you don’t need a complex concept to sell any product. Their creative agency only used the company’s cameras, a laser pointer, and three adorable fur babies, who had no clue that they were being filmed. Once the laser dot appeared, their prey drive kicked into high gear, and they were all about catching it.
Of course, the dramatic background music was a plus in the whole production, but it was the cats that sold the concept to the viewers, ultimately making the commercial one of the best in the industry.
11. Suspicious Card Activity Alerts: Cat
| Brand: | Wells Fargo |
| Year: | 2019 |
Getting an alert (or a notification) that there’s an activity flagged as suspicious in one of your bank accounts, is one of those things that will get your heart racing. What’s even worse, is your cat finding out that the hacker apparently purchased an item that was designed for a dog. This begs the question; is it truly a hack, or a ploy to get a dog as a second pet?
Cats are naturally jealous creatures. So, you could just see the distrust written all over her face, after reading the notification. Fortunately, Wells Fargo was ready to save the day.
12. Kittens
| Brand: | McVities Digestives |
| Year: | 2014 |
The kittens in this ad are so cute that they melted our hearts—and weirdly made us crave biscuits! McVities Digestives premiered this commercial 9 years ago, but we still think about kittens whenever we come across their products.
Conclusion
These are our top 12 cat commercials and ads of all time. Our top three are Chevy’s “Walter the Cat” commercial, Purina’s “Dear Kitten: The Art of Massage,” and Cranvedale’s “Cats with Thumbs”. But that’s not to say that the rest aren’t as good. While we loved all of them, somebody had to occupy the remaining spots.
Featured Image Credit: Serhii Ivashchuk, Shutterstock
