Starmaxxing! TK Maxx’s Iconic Cat Breaks Retailer Records
TK Maxx
Every Day Can Be Iconic
5.6
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Retailer TK Maxx recruits the hottest new fashion influencer around in this week’s Ad Of The Week – an adorable cat who gets its head into a TK Maxx loafer and becomes a sensation when the pics of this trendsetting OOTD hit social media.
The ad by Wieden Kennedy London is the latest to find a vein of broad humour in the dizzying world of influencers and viral, global fame. There’s something both absurd and delightful about the idea that a cat with a shoe on its head could become a style icon and spark a similar shoe-wearing trend.
Cat and audience come down to earth at the end, with the owner fondly removing the shoe and the fantasy of feline fame vanishing. That lets the ad end on a sweet moment of togetherness between human and pet, creating a peak of happiness going into the closing brand shot.
It’s that mix of on-trend humour and cuteness that lets TK Maxx do what very few retail ads have achieved and score a big 5-Star hit well away from Christmas. In fact, this isn’t just the best TK Maxx spot on Test Your Ad, at a 5.6-Star Rating on Test Your Ad it’s the most effective non-Christmas ad from a general retailer we’ve ever tested.
That means it has exceptional potential for long-term brand growth, and because it’s not tied to a particular season TK Maxx can give the ad the long lifespan it deserves. The cat’s adventures also earn an exceptional Spike Rating, predicting big short-term sales gains when the spot is running.
Why does the ad work so well? The ad uses TK Maxx’s position as an affordable high street fashion retailer to present itself as both desirable – its shoes look great however they’re worn – but also down to earth, a brand for normal people (and their cats) not just influencers and social media mavens. The communication between the owner and her pet is an essential part of that, and helps the humour and cuteness land, leaving viewers with hugely positive feelings.
The only question now is how much fact will follow fiction – maybe the cat does have the potential to really become a star? There’s no suggestion in the commercial that the iconic cat will become a brand mascot, but highly effective ads like these are how distinctive brand assets are born. It might just be worth keeping a future eye on the cat-walks…
"Our new brand a/v Catwalk is the delightful outcome of a collective team of talented people getting things just right. From consumer insight and an ambitious brief, to concept and final script, to all things production and post production and of course the brilliant direction by Andreas and his team. We all obsessed about every detail from styling, cast, music and let's not forget the creatives behind the shoe props! … I am so proud of this bold film, the output of great team work across brand teams, agencies and specialists."
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