The Cat One – Retroviral 2023 | Clapboard Ad Archive

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The Cat One - Ultra Pet | Clapboard Ad Archive

Ultra Pet’s 2023 campaign The Cat One, developed by Retroviral, advances the brand’s strategic positioning as a premium, locally produced South African pet food alternative that delivers optimal nutrition at accessible prices, directly challenging the entrenched dominance and high cost of imported competitors. As a follow-up to the viral My Best Friend, this integrated digital, content, and film effort leverages the cultural ubiquity of cat videos—which account for 15 percent of all web traffic globally and generate over 50 million monthly Google searches—to create a humorous and highly shareable narrative that resonates deeply with digitally engaged, price-conscious pet owners. The campaign employs performance art that exaggerates and mimics the quirky, idiosyncratic behaviors of cats so familiar from social media, transforming these well-known tropes into a symbolic demonstration of the superior satisfaction and well-being Ultra Pet provides, an approach that sits squarely in Clapboard’s FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit. This creative choice eschews conventional storytelling or testimonial formats in favor of abstract, exaggerated visuals that embody the product’s promise of premium quality and nutritional efficacy, effectively cutting through the cluttered pet food category with distinctive, culturally relevant content. Ultra Pet’s messaging addresses a clear consumer pain point: frustration with the exorbitant prices of imported brands, offering instead a solution grounded in national pride and value without compromising on pet health. The campaign’s digital-first execution, particularly its success on TikTok where it amassed over 2.1 million views, underscores the brand’s ability to harness viral potential and organic reach through relatable storytelling and humor, further reinforcing emotional connections with South African cat owners. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100. This campaign matters because it demonstrates how pet food brands can disrupt established market hierarchies by creatively leveraging social media culture and symbolic representation to engage consumers in a saturated category.

Credits

Client

Ultra Pet

Agency

Retroviral

Production House

Panther Punch, Cape Town, South Africa

Executive Creative Director

Mike Sharman

Creative Director

Ndumiso Nyoni

Md

Pippa Misplon

Art Director

Kayli Botha

Director

Oliver Booth

Cinematographer

Michael Carter

Producer

Bryony Webster

Writers

Mike Sharman, Oliver Booth, Glen Biderman-Pam

Category Mind Map

48%

Ultra Pet’s campaign, "The Cat One," positions the brand as a premium, locally made pet food alternative that delivers optimal nutrition at an affordable price, directly challenging the dominance and high costs of imported cat food brands. The campaign’s core proposition is to encourage South African pet owners to switch to Ultra Pet by emphasizing quality, value, and national pride, addressing common consumer pain points around price without compromising on pet health. The market strategy leverages the pervasive popularity and shareability of cat content online, recognizing that cat videos drive a significant portion of web traffic and engagement, with over 50 million monthly Google searches for "cat" since 2020 and 15% of all web traffic attributed to cat videos. The campaign taps into this cultural phenomenon by deploying humour and performance art that mimics the quirky behaviors of cats—content that resonates authentically with pet owners and social media audiences alike. This creative angle serves to cut through the clutter of a category saturated with generic messaging, generating viral potential and driving organic reach as evidenced by over 2.1 million views on TikTok. Targeting digitally engaged, price-sensitive pet owners who consume extensive pet-related content on social media, Ultra Pet combines relatable storytelling with strategic use of digital and film media. This integrated approach supports brand differentiation in a competitive market by aligning product benefits with culturally relevant, entertaining content that strengthens emotional connections with cat lovers, thus fostering brand loyalty and conversion.

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This campaign fits FORMAT#9 because it explicitly draws on the exaggerated, idiosyncratic behaviors of cats—well-known from viral social media—to symbolically highlight the product's benefit: ultra-premium nutrition that meets the unique, quirky needs of cats. Rather than focusing on a linear story, direct problem/solution, or a testimonial approach, the campaign transforms the well-loved tropes of online cat videos into a humorous vehicle illustrating the superior satisfaction and well-being Ultra Pet provides. The mention of “performance art” and “mimicking cat idiosyncrasies” signals an abstract, creative demonstration where cat behaviors symbolize the positive impact of the pet food, aligning with symbolic or exaggerated representation at the heart of this format.

1. Royal Canin – Market Positioning Royal Canin positions itself as a scientifically formulated premium pet food brand offering breed-specific and health-focused nutrition. It differentiates through veterinary endorsements, research-backed formulas, and tailored diets addressing pets’ unique needs, appealing to discerning pet owners prioritizing health and wellness. 2. Hills Science Diet – Market Positioning Hills Science Diet emphasizes veterinarian-recommended, clinically tested pet nutrition designed to support various life stages and specific health conditions. Its strategic angle revolves around trust, science-backed innovation, and premium quality, targeting health-conscious pet owners seeking specialized dietary solutions. 3. Bakers – Market Positioning Bakers leverages its heritage as South Africa’s affordable, accessible pet food brand with a focus on everyday nutrition for dogs and cats. It positions itself as a value-driven, reliable local brand that balances quality and price, appealing to mass-market consumers looking for dependable, budget-friendly options. 4. Optimum – Market Positioning Optimum markets itself as a premium South African pet food brand that focuses on optimal pet health and vitality, combining quality ingredients with local production advantages. It emphasizes a holistic approach to pet nutrition, catering to owners who want balanced, scientifically formulated meals without imported price premiums. 5. Pet Lovers Centre (Private Label) – Market Positioning Pet Lovers Centre’s private label offers competitively priced, locally formulated pet food products that prioritize good nutrition with affordability and convenience. Positioned within a trusted retail footprint, it targets cost-conscious South African pet owners who value accessibility and consistent quality.

Q: What is Ultra Pet: The Cat One about? A: Ultra Pet: The Cat One is a 2023 South African campaign created by Retroviral for the pet food brand Ultra Pet. It serves as a sequel to the viral summer hit My Best Friend and uses humour and performance art to mimic the quirky behaviours of cats popular on social media. The campaign aims to cut through the cluttered pet food category by encouraging local pet owners to switch from expensive imported brands to Ultra Pet’s premium, affordable nutrition. It leverages digital and film media, notably TikTok, where it has amassed over 2.1 million views, to engage a digitally savvy audience with relatable, entertaining content. Q: What creative device does Ultra Pet: The Cat One use? A: Ultra Pet: The Cat One employs FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT from Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy, which uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. The campaign creatively draws on the exaggerated, idiosyncratic behaviours of cats, well known from viral social media content, to symbolically highlight Ultra Pet’s promise of ultra-premium nutrition tailored to cats’ unique needs. Instead of a straightforward narrative or testimonial, it uses performance art to abstractly demonstrate the superior satisfaction and well-being the pet food provides, aligning with the symbolic representation central to this format. Q: What is the campaign proposition for Ultra Pet: The Cat One? A: Ultra Pet: The Cat One positions Ultra Pet as a premium, locally made pet food alternative that delivers optimal nutrition at an affordable price. The campaign targets South African pet owners frustrated by the high costs of imported brands, encouraging them to switch by emphasizing quality, value, and national pride. It addresses consumer concerns about price without compromising pet health, using humour and culturally relevant content to build emotional connections and differentiate Ultra Pet in a competitive market saturated with generic messaging. Q: How does Ultra Pet: The Cat One rank in Clapboard's archive? A: Ultra Pet: The Cat One holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 63/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance within the pet food category. The rating is issued by Clapboard as the curatorial authority that evaluates campaigns based on their originality, strategic impact, and resonance with audiences. Q: Who are the competitors in Ultra Pet's category? A: Ultra Pet competes with several key brands in South Africa’s pet food market. Royal Canin positions itself as a scientifically formulated premium brand offering breed-specific and health-focused nutrition. Hills Science Diet emphasizes veterinarian-recommended, clinically tested formulas for various life stages and health conditions. Bakers is known for affordable, accessible everyday nutrition with a value-driven local heritage. Optimum markets itself as a premium South African brand focusing on balanced, scientifically formulated meals without imported price premiums. Pet Lovers Centre’s private label offers competitively priced, locally formulated products prioritizing good nutrition, affordability, and convenience.