SECAUCUS, NJ. — Pet care company Hartz has partnered with Cutwater, a media and advertising agency, to launch a new campaign for Hartz’s Delectables wet cat treats.

The campaign, entitled “Deliciously De-Lick-able Delectables,” features two TV advertisements focusing on the lickable quality of the cat treats. The ads feature an orange tabby cat, as well as a tagline and jingle.

“Our approach was to own the lick,” said Chuck McBride, founder and chief creative officer of Cutwater. “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.

“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,” McBride added. “We believe this is a sign-off that Delectables can continue to tap into for the future.”

The new ads represent Hartz’s first major campaign since its rebrand. The company rolled out new visual identities for itself and its Delectables products, featuring refreshed logos, color palettes, typography, photography, packaging and more.

“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,” said Tina LeLay, chief marketing officer at Hartz. “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.”

Photo courtesy of Cutwater

The campaign will roll out nationwide across TV, digital, social, display and search channels through Amazon, Walmart, Tik Tok, BuzzFeed, YouTube, Hulu and more. The campaign will also include influencer collaborations highlighting the bond cat parents can create will Hartz’s Delectables Lickable Treats and Squeeze Up treats.

“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,” said Dai Kageyama, director of marketing at Hartz. “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.”

According to Cutwater, the campaign will target younger generations, specifically Millennials and Gen Z, as these generations represent significant opportunity for Hartz.

“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,” said Caitlin Deland, senior media supervisor at Cutwater. “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.”

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