This was just too bizarre to ignore....

Meow Mix just announced a new reality show called “Think like a Cat” that recently premiered on the Game Show Network. Immediately it reminded me of Brawny’s “Brawny Academy” reality show crafted by Minneapolis’ own Fallon, which got some good attention in 2006. However, Meow Mix’s (along with Grand Central Marketing which developed the concept) attempt at associating their brand with entertaining whimsy and fun, only plays off as creepy and disorganized. The New York Times’ television review describes the show as a “lame attempt to use game-show trappings to disguise what is nothing more than a lengthy cat food commercial.” And that is actually one of the nicer things said in that article (it is also described as “a significant step toward the collapse of civilized society”). If I were handling the PR, that is one media impression I would not want to claim.

On a slightly better note, Best Week Ever’s Michelle Collins (whom I worship for her pop culture insights) dubbed this show one of her “Reasons to Live” simply because this promo is too hilarious to ignore.



While this is all very amusing, I don’t really see what it’s doing for the brand except drawing ridicule upon a pretty staple name in the cat food industry.

Fallon may have been able to pull off the commercial disguised as a reality show quite well, but does that mean other brands should attempt the same? Sometimes good ideas are best left alone to the ones who crafted them in the first place.