Friskies Capitalizes on Popularity of Cat Videos With Branded Awards

The cat food brand has asked consumers to submit cat videos of two minutes or less. The awards, The Friskies, will culminate with a ceremony in New York in October.

Cats, undisputed rulers of the web animal video space, can once again demonstrate their dominance in cat food brand Friskies’ eponymous Internet cat video awards, The Friskies.

The brand says the awards are returning for a second year “to celebrate the pop culture phenomenon of cat videos and the cats who inspire them.”

Friskies says it wants cats’ “funniest or most adventurous moments.” In exchange, entrants can win $5,000 and a custom-made gold-plated Friskies Catuette and take part in a live award show in New York in October.

“The Friskies is the major award for best new Internet cat videos of the year, celebrating the phenomenon that is cat videos in a big way,” says Shawn Brain, Friskies’ assistant brand manager.

After receiving 1,400 entries last year, the brand says it expects to receive “thousands” this year. Brain, however, did not disclose a tally to date so far, saying Friskies receives many entries in the final two weeks. Participants have until July 15 at noon ET to enter.

Consumers can upload videos of no more than two minutes on The Friskies website. There are four categories to choose from: Cat Comedy, Catventure, Rescue Cat, and Pursuit of Food/Treat.

The site also displays recent videos, trending videos, and winning videos from 2012, as well as tips on how to film cats.

The 2012 grand prize winner, Oskar’s First Toys, has 472,000 views on Friskies’ YouTube page and a whopping 4.7 million on owner Mick Szydlowski’s page.

According to Friskies, “All entries will be evaluated by an eclectic panel of judges with strong ties to popular cat culture.”

Friskies says judges will evaluate entries based on: originality and overall artistic impression; audience appeal and entertainment quality; sense that there’s a story being told; and portraying a cat’s perspective. They will select 20 semi-finalists. The 2013 judging panel includes Szydlowski, as well as Will Braden, creator of Henri, le Chat Noir, and Abbie Moore, executive director of Adopt-a-Pet.com.

The semi-finalists will be announced August 6, which will be followed by a public voting phase. Fans can vote once a day through September 16.

The top three videos from each category according to the public vote will be named finalists and will win a trip to take part in the award show on October 15. One winner from each category will receive a Friskies Catuette and $5,000. In addition, one fan favorite will be named based on a public text vote the day of the show and will also receive a Friskies Catuette and $5,000.

Comedian and cat owner Michael Ian Black will host the award show, which will be broadcast live on The Friskies’ website.

Brain says the show will be held at a public venue in New York. Attendees will include finalists, local media, and fans.

The 2012 awards show took place in LA with host Michael Buckley.

“We started The Friskies because we wanted to recognize and validate cat videos as art form,” Brain says. “Movies have the Oscars, TV has the Emmys, and now cat videos have The Friskies.”

The brand is using the hashtag #thefriskies to promote the initiative. @Friskies has 7,800 followers.

Friskies has 595,000 likes on Facebook.

Brain says the brand will also be leveraging Black’s social presence. @Michaelianblack has 1.9 million Twitter followers.

Friskies is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Whitepaper | Mobile US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people

Whitepaper | Digital Marketing Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

Report | Digital Transformation Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

4w

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource