File this idea under “Damn! Why Didn’t I Think of That?!” Some smarty pants over at Friskies cat food turned iPad app marketing on its ear this week when the company unleashed a threesome of apps made just for cats. In a stroke of branding brilliance, Friskies has come up with apps that let cats be their adorable playful selves while selling cat food — and reinventing the way people market to pet owners.
Gamesforcats.com, which already sounds freaking adorable and unavoidable for the crazy cat ladies in our life, is a Friskies created website that serves as a portal for the three new game apps. Tasty Treasures Hunt, Cat Fishing and Party Mix-Up, respectively, are the iPad games that feature floating items like tasty treats or squirming fishies that kitty can try to catch. Naturally, the names of the games are also names of products created by Friskies. While the video shows felines enthusiastically batting away at the iPad screen, Friskies promises that iPads won’t end up looking like scratching posts. iPad’s naturally thick glass screen, according to the company, can withstand cat claws.
Will it mean more sales for the brand? Too soon to tell. But Friskies and parent company Purina have certainly bridged the gap between tech and pets.
Given the buzz generated by the games, we can expect to see more of this type of thing in the future. In fact, 2011 has been a banner year for iPad app innovation. Finally. The delay could have been caused by a general “what the hell are we supposed to do with this thing?” kind of response which greeted the iPad when it was released last year. Now we’re seeing more brands and even science embrace the possibilities of tablets and the apps that follow along with them. From big-time publishing to autism research, the iPad is becoming a real contender for marketing possibilities. And with the scads of tablets being released by copy, ahem, cats, marketing for the devices will have at least nine lives.
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