Direct choice: Whiskas kitten care pack

Mark Pearson, Creative director, TDA, Marketing, Wednesday, 24 November 2004, 12:00am,

We have a new addition to our family, but it's not so much the patter of tiny feet as the padding of tiny paws that is causing excitement. He's called Mungo and he's a kitten. Kids are one thing, but how on earth do you raise a kitten? The solution appeared in a pack of Whiskas cat food, which contained an insert inviting me to apply for its free kitten care pack.

Whiskas definitely wants to be Mungo's preferred food and with that aim, it pulls out all the stops. As a first-time kitten owner, this is my first in-depth experience of the brand - and I am not disappointed. The pack contains four pouches of kitten food (which will enable Mungo to acquire a taste), an A4-sized Kitten Guide and a letter with a voucher for two extra pouches when I purchase a multipack. There is also a cross-sell voucher for Whiskas milk. Kittens can't drink cows' milk, as it has a high lactose content which can upset their stomachs.

I know this last fact because it appears in the Kitten Guide - a fabulous blend of fascinating facts and gorgeous photography in which Whiskas brings all its knowledge and experience to bear. All this leaves me in no doubt that it is the brand leader in nutrition and cat care.

Like most proud owners, I am now an expert on Mungo's behaviour, his habits, how to look after him and - most importantly for Whiskas - what I'm going to feed him for the rest of his life.

- Direct agency Proximity London.

This article was first published on Marketing