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Leading petcare brand Hartz and creative and media agency of record, Cutwater, with offices in San Francisco and New York City, have teamed together to launch a playful campaign for Delectables, the wet cat treats.
The campaign, entitled “Deliciously De-Lick-able Delectables”, focuses on two spots reinforcing the Delectables name in a fun direction through alliteration and repetition. “Grocery Store” features a wife asking her husband to quickly stock up on more Delectables Lickable Treat while their meowing cats enthusiastically lick their bowls clean. “Lick Interruption” centers around a guest observing a pet owner’s cuddly, purring cat pawing for more and more of a Delectables Squeeze Up. Both narratives conclude with the debuts of the all-new hero cat, an orange tabby, as well as catchy tagline and jingle: “Deliciously De-Lick-able Delectables”, which was composed by musical artist Sean McVerry (who recently won the "Battle of the Instant Songwriters" segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon). The pieces were directed by David Hicks of production company Spears & Arrows. Editorial was led by Cutters, and VFX was executed by Universal Production Partners (UPP).
“Our approach was to own the lick. It’s an intrinsic element to all wet cat treats, especially Delectables. We found relatable moments that pet parents could understand and where subtle humor could play a role. The talent and collaborative spirit from our human cast and, of course, feline stars helped bring the jokes to life”, explains Cutwater Founder and CCO Chuck McBride. “The Hartz and Cutwater teams loved the idea of inventing a tongue twisting tagline and an entirely new word, De-Lick-able, to go along with it. We believe this is a sign-off that Delectables can continue to tap into for the future.”
The work signals the first major campaign following the rebrands for both Hartz and Delectables. The visual identities of each rolled out refreshed logos, color palettes, typography, photography elements, packaging, and more. The project also comes on the heels of Cutwater winning the creative and media agency of record title for Hartz.
Hartz CMO Tina LeLay says, “With this work, the Hartz and Cutwater teams sought out to not only launch a new campaign for our brand, Delectables, but also introduce a whole new product form. Since wet cat treats are relatively new versus the old standard dry treats, many cat parents are still unaware that there’s a better way to show delight and affection to their finicky cats. These spots make it clear wet treats are the superior treating form, and only Delectables are delicious enough for cats to lick the bowl clean every time.”
The media strategy boasts a robust buy across nationwide TV, digital, social, display, and search channels. The partnerships include the likes of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok, BuzzFeed, YouTube, and Hulu, to name a few. The paid support will be complemented by influencer collaborations highlighting pet parents and families bonding with their cats via Delectables Lickable Treat and Squeeze Up items.
According to Cutwater Senior Media Supervisor Caitlin Delaney, “Our studies found that Gen Z and Millennials currently represent the largest cat owning households at around 30%, but they only factor into 10% of wet cat treat sales, which is less than any other generation. Considering the competitive landscape is primarily populated with traditional TV and print platforms targeted toward Gen X and Baby Boomers, digital provides a unique opportunity for awareness and conversion among the younger demographic sets. We secured really thoughtful homes for the creative, aligning with related content and using powerful data to target the right users. I look forward to the custom influencer content that’s coming down the pike as well as continuing to capitalize on the new and ever-changing digital media landscape.”
Hartz Director of Marketing Dai Kageyama adds, “We’re all excited to finally push out this new campaign, and I can't wait to see more cat families get to know Delectables. During the planning stages, ecommerce partners were key to building and establishing a full-funnel presence while video tactics were leaned into for driving awareness. Our wet cat treats have the power and magic to deepen the owner-cat relationship, transforming treating time into a moment of love, joy, and affection.”
Delectables products are available for purchase in-store and online at retailers throughout the U.S.
Client: Hartz
Chief Marketing Officer: Tina LeLay
Director of Marketing: Dai Kageyama
Director of Marketing: Stacy Kisla
Senior Manager, Ecommerce Marketing: Kimberly Moran
Marketing Trainee: Ryohei Kubo
Agency: Cutwater
Founder & Chief Creative Officer: Chuck McBride
Principal & President: Christian Hughes
Group Creative Director: Adam Vohlidka
Creative Director: Scott Padden
Art Director: Alexandra Ebright
Copywriter: Taylor Smith
Designer: Hichem Kherbachi
Strategist: Jake Baldridge
Director of Creative Strategy & Head of Social: Viktor Torbjörnsen
Social Media Marketing Manager: Ashley Feminella
Head of Production: Brian Cooper
Head of Media & Communications: Lizzy Ryan
Senior Media Supervisor: Caitlin Delaney
Media Planner: Allie Gorton
Group Account Director: Courtney Griffin
Account Director: Brett Harris
Account Executive: Marc Cruz
Project Manager: Ana Elejalde
Production: Spears & Arrows
Director: David Hicks
Managing Director: Jason Wolk
Head of Production: Justin Cormier
CFO: James Stern
Senior Producer: Craig Houchin
Producer: Rocky Bice
Editorial: Cutters Chicago
Executive Producer: Heather Richardson
Producer: Marek Luczak
VFX: Universal Production Partners (UPP)
Producer: Václav Machuta
Production Manager: Terezam Trnkova
Facebook: @cutwater
Twitter: @CutwaterAgency
Instagram: @cutwateragency
LinkedIn: Cutwater
Facebook: @HartzPets
Twitter: @HartzPets
Instagram: @hartzpets
LinkedIn: Hartz Mountain Corporation
About Cutwater:
Cutwater is an independent creative and media agency with offices in San Francisco and New York City. Headed by advertising thought leaders, Founder / CCO Chuck McBride and Principal / President Christian Hughes, the agency prides itself on building distinctive campaigns for challenger and legacy brands alike. These have included the likes of Russell Stover, Brawny, Jeep, Ray-Ban, and more. https://www.cutwateragency.com/
About Hartz:
Hartz is a leading manufacturer of pet care products in the United States and Canada. For over 95 years, Hartz has provided a full range of pet care products of the highest quality that help pet owners love their pets the way their pets love them: unconditionally. Through the Hartz Loving Paws™ shelter outreach program, Hartz is committed to helping animal welfare organizations that care for and protect pets until they find their forever homes. For more information, visit www.hartz.com.
