How the TEMPTATIONS brand resisted the seven deadly sins of product launches

TEMPTATIONS™, the Mars-owned cat treat brand (labelled Dreamies in the UK and other markets), was so dominant in its category that advertising delivered diminishing returns. Mars chose the brand for what became the biggest US pet food new product launch in a decade. Advertising stayed true to the brand's established core benefit of irresistible taste, with executions of CATS LOSE THEIR COOL™ inspired both by an algorithm that analysed how people discussed cats and a database of 'perfect cat' tropes in pop culture. Econometrics estimates advertising drove $75m in sales and $1.54 of profit for every $1 invested.