Figured it might be time to lighten up so this post is about a recent promotion from 9 Lives Catfood. This classic Marketing for Good effort includes a celebrity spokesperson, American Idol judge Randy Jackson, a 34 market vehicle tour and a strong good-will component focused on encouraging cat adoption. Here’s what they said about it on Promo Magazine yesterday:
9Lives is revving up for the second leg of its national tour that has prompted 100,000 cat adoptions in its first five months. The tour, called Morris’ Million Cat Rescue, resumes this week after a holiday hiatus. Morris and the tour crew will visit another 23 cities through spring after touring 11 cities last fall.
The 36-foot tour bus houses an adoption center, showcasing cats from local shelters near each tour stop. A “Cat’s-Eye View” display lets passers by watch the cats play; a quiet room inside the bus lets potential pet owners interact with a cat they’re considering adopting.
Since this tour has been on for a while, I thought I’d check a few pet fan blogs for their reaction. Steve Dale, wrote a long entry about this program on his blog noting that 9Lives will donate one dollar per purchase to an animal charity. Steve seemed to be particular interested in Randy Jackson’s involvement quoting Randy: “Man, adopting one million cats. It can be done. It has to be. I mean it blew me away when I learned three of every four cats that enters a shelter doesnâ€
This program is good for 9 Lives on a number levels generating national & local PR coverage, gaining strong grass roots support from cat adoption activists like the ASPCA and praise from animal lovers in the bloggosphere, while giving consumers a relevant means to experience the brand and their “spokescats” Morris and Little Mo! The program extends their long time national advertising campaign and is also linked directly to sales via the donation with purchase component. In fact, it is a purrfect example of Marketing for Good.