Web purrs over Hovercat as video generates big numbers

Client
ASPCA
PR agency
Mekanism
Campaign
Hovercat
Duration
June 9-June 30
Budget
Pro bono

The ASPCA, working with Mekanism, was looking for a creative way to build awareness about pet adoption, leveraging the Internet's cat obsession and incorporating an innovative video.

Strategy
Creative agency Mekanism developed, produced, and promoted a video introducing the Hovercat and enlisted ABC reporter Dan Harris to remind viewers about ASPCA animals waiting to be adopted.

The video incorporated a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon motif depicting the cat suspended above the floor and moving around the apartment after Harris leaves for work.

Tactics
By reaching out to relevant influencers compiled by Mekanism, including cat-friendly site I Can Has Cheezburger; art, culture, and technology website Laughing Squid; and tech blogger Veronica Belmont, Hovercat generated almost half a million views by day four of its launch.

The video was subsequently covered in various media outlets such as USA Today, Huffington Post, and as a viral video case study on a Nightline feature segment. On June 14, influential YouTube channel Prank vs. Prank hosted a Twitter live-stream event to generate coverage for the ASPCA through interviews with its marketing team as well as pet handlers and animals up for adoption.

Results
Within 12 minutes of the live-stream event launch #ASPCA became a trending topic in the US, which helped the group grow its Twitter following by more than 700.

Hovercat reached 1,068,481 views by early September on YouTube and generated more than 18.5 million social media impressions for the ASPCA. As a result, the sites ASPCA.org/adopt and ASPCA.org/ adoption saw a significant in-crease in site traffic during the month of June, totaling more than 13,000 page views.

Future
Mekanism hopes to build on the Hovercat meme with T-shirts and mugs sold by the ASPCA.