Whiskas’ charming new ad features music scientifically proven to appeal to cats

Bafta-winning animator and director Nina Gantz has teamed up with National Symphony cellist David Teie for the latest spot from the Whiskas stable.

The result is an ad by Abbot Mead Vickers BBDO, created by Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones, taking the viewer inside a cat’s imagination to better understand what happens when they purr.

Teie, an animal composer whose work has been scientifically proven by the Journal of Feline Medicine to reduce the stress levels of cats, devised both the ad’s soundtrack and an accompanying playlist, which will be available for free on Spotify and YouTube.

He said: “Cats listen to sounds at different frequencies to humans, so we’ve created a piece of music that appeals to their unique audio range.”

The Whiskas team at Mars Petcare also tested the new melody with cats around the globe, with the majority reacting positively compared to classical music or nothing at all.

Jane Wakely, chief marketing officer at Mars Petcare, said: “As any cat parent knows, getting a purr from your cat is the highest praise you could earn. We believe that happy cats make happy humans, so we’re delighted to launch a Whiskas campaign that creates more purrs all round.

“'Purr more' is a great example of how we’re innovating and using digital and technology to put pet parents at the heart of our purpose: A better world for pets.”

The launch track of the playlist, titled Purr More, has its own music video, created by animator Daniel Stankler.

The Whiskas team also plans to print a limited-edition collectible vinyl. Each vinyl has a fish printed on the top that will revolve when played and entertain cats as they enjoy the music. Influencers will be invited to play it to their cat and share the interaction on TikTok.

A digital app will allow cat parents to convert their cats’ purrs into currency for more Whiskas – with the bigger the purr, the better the prize.

Alex Grieve, chief creative officer at AMV BBDO, said: “We wanted to create an idea for Whiskas that truly mirrored their mission which, when you boil everything down, is to make cats and cat parents happy.

"The purr is the ultimate sign of cat happiness. So, in every piece of creative work moving forward our goal will be to create a world where cats purr more.”

MediaCom handled the media.

Gantz won Best Short Animated Film at the Baftas in 2016.