KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

LAUNCH PRODUCT: KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

100g can of processed mouse meat for cats to be sold for $1.00 through supermarket chain.

USP Wouldnt you prefer kitty got it at home? PART 1

Introduction There are estimated to be 804,000 cats in NSW/ACTi alone. With a downward trend in the overall Australian cat population and in the average number of cats per cat owning household, but with the percentage of households with cats increasing (approximately 25% of Australian households), there is an opportunity to develop premium specialised cat food choices that appeal to consumers informed knowledge on the latest developments in scientific and behavioural cat food research. In 2005 it is estimated that there was $417m expenditure on overall pet care for cats in NSW/ACT, of which 44% is spent on cat foodii. Approximately 61% of cat food expenditure is on canned food. The market leader in grocery sales is Master Foods representing 64.7% of the canned cat food market in Australia, followed by supermarket generic brands with 20.9%iii. Despite the value in this sector there is very little product differentiation, with most processed food choices reflecting menu items more enticing to humans than cats. This has been achieved via labelling regulation that does not accurately reflect pet food ingredients. Corporate Marketing & Advertising Objectives Marketing Objective Distribution would be anticipated through one major supermarket chains major metropolitan stores; by attaining 2% of the canned cat food purchases at those stores within the first financial year of operation we would reach our break-even point. If the advertising objectives are met we should reach 5% of overall canned cat food sales. Opportunities for distribution through vet clinics, independent retailers and specialist pet stores may increase market share, but without strong consistent demand in the immediate post-launch quarter interest through those channels may weaken and be hard to regain. Offering a product at the premium end of the market that requires a radical change in attitudes to cat food will mean that KITTYS CATCH will need to be accepted and succeed at the supermarket first. Advertising Objective Gradual social changes have resulted in pets occupying a more integrated role in family lifestyles. There is a bland range of premium and supermarket food products available for cats, but their flavours reflect meal choices more palatable to the human owners than the choices preferable and accessible to cats left to their own devices and physical limitations. Despite strong historical and popular culture links between cats and mice there are no commercially manufactured mouse based cat foods available. The advertising must demonstrate the natural and normal association between cats and mice, and that, given the opportunity (free choice) a cat would choose a mouse over a hen or bull as a source of food. Pet owners want their cat to be happy and satisfied, but rather than opting for a choice that they would find enticing, a more responsible choice in the cats best interest would be a choice the cat would naturally, instinctively prefer. This may be demonstrated by:

JADDAN BRUHN

Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

Humour despite the cats evolutionary link to bears and the big cats, a domestic cat is neither willing nor motivated to go fishing or hunting for cattle. Nutrition (scientific) it may be demonstrated that mice have lower fat/higher pure protein content than conventional pet meat, providing an overall more nutritional content. Physiological (scientific) the invigorating scent and flavours of processed mice may activate the cats instinct and better sate their primal needs, leaving them feeling far more contented and satisfied after a meal, giving the cat a more positive overall sense of wellbeing. Rather than selfishly perceiving the purchase of cat food as an extension of their own meal choice, the pet owner needs to be encouraged to make a choice that will make their cat happier, healthier, more engaged, more responsive, less likely to stalk or bite randomly. To reinforce the rationale for this choice, disconcerting information about snakes in suburban areas / in the home, attracted by cats hunting fresh mice, disseminated as helpful, also need to be implemented to amplify the dangers of not safely acquiring processed mouse meat for your cat. Rationale for the Advertising Campaign Humans hate mice, the thought, proximity, perceptions of pestilence. Just as perceptions of kangaroo meat have moved on from maggot infested road kill to lean premium red meat available in supermarkets and restaurants; the perceptions and the relative function of a mouse to a cat-owning household needs to be re-communicated. The mouse as being able to satisfy the cats overall wellbeing in a safe, controlled, owner influenced manner. When you feed your cat KITTYS CATCH you will know that your cat will appreciate you more for putting their needs first. To encourage the switch to this more responsible approach to cat food, increasing awareness of the increased incidence of snakes appearing in suburban households and linking that back to cats catching fresh mice and attracting snakes to the home will also be important to shift attitudes. KITTYS CATCH needs to be perceived as a broadly mainstream product, sensible and accessible, not as a niche specialist cat fanciers indulgence. Target group description and data Cats are a popular family pet and are also a popular pet amongst single females. Cats are conducive to low, medium and high density living. Due to the complexities of the product and the attitude changes required for it to be acceptable to the consumer the target group is 30-35 year old educated females, married and single, employed and housewives living in the inner urban metropolitan city. This group chooses their cat food out of habit and would be more attentive to information on how to improve the wellbeing of their pet and would also be more reactive to information on how to keep the family home free of snakes. They would also be more understanding of the information and would be willing to quickly see beyond the immediate repulsion to the concept of mice as food, perceiving it as an acceptable, responsible choice. Planned advertising strategies and schedules Prior to launch there would be a low-key awareness campaign on snakes in suburban areas, possibly attracted by mice parts left by cats. This would be done via long copy ads in womens magazines and would heavily reference recent newspaper articles. At the launch stage KITTYS CATCH would be presented as the answer to householders snake fears and as a new approach to responsible, thoughtful cat ownership. Again, long copy ads, in womens magazines and newspapers that address the advertising objectives are critical at this stage.
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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

Determination of what to test Current cat food choices, willingness to vary, approach to cats motivation to hunt, awareness of the issue of snakes in the home, interest in a cat food that would improve cat health and well being that simultaneously eliminates unwanted snakes in the home; the appeal, impact and level of interest in a radical new approach to cat food, preferred magazines & newspapers (regularity of reading/purchase), indication of where most information on cat care is obtained, regularity of vet visits, number & age of children in the household. Purpose for and proposed testing methodology / tools / techniques Quantitative questionnaire. This is to determine the degree to which people are willing to vary and explore cat food choices, awareness of issues, and whether a campaign based on fear of snakes or scientific improvement in cat health would be more effective. Risk reduction approaches / strategies Because of the contentious nature of the product it is important that testing is conducted in an environment where individuals are not susceptible to any extraneous influence that could colour their thought process and initial reaction to the subject. There is the possibility that individuals may be quite polarised by the concept of buying processed mouse meat and the effect on those beliefs of the provision of relevant information must be gauged as accurately as possible in order to effectively determine how a consumer would process the issues at the supermarket shelf. As this is a new product it is important to have adequate testing time to revisit aspects of the product and attitudes of the target should the intended approach be found to be ineffective during testing. Heavy investment in the final phase of the product launch will not be undertaken without strong, positive testing results. Timelines / Schedules Beyond required statutory labelling requirements (which include a large image of either the entire body or identifiable head of a cat) the outcome of the testing will have a large impact on the final design of the launch product packaging, and will impact launch and post-launch advertising design and art direction commensurately. Once the final product is lab ready, a testing phase of three months is expected to adequately test the target group and analyse the result to determine whether the intended strategy will effectively communicate the product. The direction of the report will critically determine whether the product proceeds or if fundamental changes are required. There is a contingency for a further three months of testing should the analysis of initial results reveal action is required in material aspects of the intended campaign. With solid testing results, a further two months is allocated prior to product launch date to implement campaign strategy.

JADDAN BRUHN

Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

PART 2 Final Post Testing Review Report

Summary of Testing Strategy Gauging potential market acceptance of a new product concept into an established and mature category requires an infallible insight and mastering of the current attitudes, motivations and needs of intended consumers. The objective of the testing strategy was to determine what defining motivations prompt identified consumers specific cat food choice; and their willingness to modify / adapt / substitute their regular choice (or general selection criteria) in response to seemingly extraneous and / or not previously acknowledged influence; observing the strength of their attitudes.

Age
8% 18% 22% 16 - 25 26 - 35 36 - 45 52% 46+ 18% 32%

Location
3% Sydney 47% Melbourne Adelaide Broken Hill

Figure 1 Age of Respondents

Figure 2 Respondents Location of Residence

Target Market Tested 40 Females, age 16-46+ During testing the target market was revised to broaden the age of test subjects. Cat food brands at the supermarket shelf differentiate by price with little to no competition between brands at the same price point. It was felt to be more relevant to investigate how consumers developed and maintained their attitudes towards cat food and widening the age group provided the scope for determining whether these attitudes were reflective of a specific group and whether this would affect the initially proposed strategy. Accordingly, the qualifying age range for the test subjects was extended to include females 16 46+. Eligible occupations were also broadened to include 13 students, 2 casuals, 1 part time employed, 6 self employed and 4 females currently seeking work; in addition to 14 full time employed. As the product was intended to appeal to an urban market, test subjects were recruited from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to reduce geographic specific bias (i.e. in Melbourne the issue of snakes appearing in suburban inner-city backyards is linked to low water levels in suburban creeks and riverbeds, their incidence generating broad community concern and angst); additionally, responses were sought from Broken Hill to ascertain the resonance of particular aspects of the testing from a regional perspective where key elements of the campaign were anticipated to be more thoroughly understood and accepted relative to urban residents (i.e. again, snakes are a material seasonal issue in Broken Hill).

JADDAN BRUHN

Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

Testing methodology / tools / techniques used Cat owning females residing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Broken Hill and Queenslands Sunshine Coast (Ultimo Advertising and Petersham Project Management TAFE students, relatives and friends) between the ages of 16 to 46+ were contacted via e-mail and invited to participate in an online quantitative survey facilitated by Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com), between October and November 2009. Of the individuals invited to participate a total of 40 individuals completed the survey correctly (12% of responses were purged as they were incorrectly or incompletely answered; individuals in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast declined to participate). Using an online survey tool was a non-invasive method of gathering responses that allowed for a broader sample of people to participate over a larger geographic area than would have been otherwise possible on a limited budget. In addition to questions covering demographics, media preferences and lifestyle, and an indication of preferred potential campaign imagery and tone, respondents answered eighteen questions in a Likert scale format (nominating the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the propositions in the survey). Positive acceptance of the product was anticipated and several questions seeking information on media habits were asked to assist in the next stage of planning the campaign. To simplify and quicken the time taken for an individual to complete the survey there was no allocation of general space in the survey format for respondents to provide general comments or further explanations. Given the contentious nature of the product it would have been beneficial to include blank text boxes in the survey to garner additional feedback, insight and allow respondents to articulate their underlying motivations and express the reasoning behind their responses (i.e. I would not use this as a mainstream alternative but I would consider it as a treat). Additionally, an anonymous online survey lacks a potential degree of integrity in the responses it generates and, should this concept be reconsidered and reconfigured and retested for market acceptance in an alternative format, a technique employing face-to-face communication and the ability to explore respondents attitudes in greater depth would be of far greater value at the concept testing stage.

JADDAN BRUHN

Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

Mice hunted by domestic cats is a factor in the incidence of snakes being found in urban homes.
Strongly Disagree 20% 5% 7% 15% Agree 53% Strongly Agree Disagree

I would buy processed mouse meat if there was one commercially available.
3% 10% 17% Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree 35% 35% Strongly Agree Neither

Neither
Figure 3 Over 50% of respondents agreed that mice discarded by cats attract snakes Figure 4 If it were available 63% of Sydney, 30% of Melbourne and 28% of Adelaide respondents either Agreed or Strongly Agreed that they would purchase mouse meat for their cat

Results of the campaign testing process The majority of respondents live in households with no children (60%), either alone (15%), with one other adult (47.5%), or with two other adults (22.5%). Cat owners are genuinely interested in the health and wellbeing of their cat and will buy the best cat food they can afford. Though whilst the majority of respondents indicated that scientific and nutritional evidence influenced their purchase decision, most did not actively seek out current information or discuss nutrition with their cats vet. The supermarket is where 85% of respondents currently purchase their cat food and 67.5% either agreed or strongly agreed that cat food labelling does not accurately reflect the ingredients used in cat food. As shown in Figure 4 above, 52% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposition that they would buy commercially processed mouse meat were it available and 50% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposition that mouse meat should be commercially processed and made available for purchase at all. Further, as highlighted in Figures 5 and 6 over page, 73% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their cat does hunt mice and 70% either agreed or strongly agreed that their cat displays aggressive behaviour and is prone to lash-out, highlighting potential market opportunities outside the scope of the tested product, but within this sector (as discussed below).

JADDAN BRUHN

Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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Interpretation and discussion of findings Cat owners are aware of their cats instinctive behaviour and displays of aggression and over half agreed that there is a relationship between cats catching mice and the appearance of backyard snakes (see Figure 3 above). However, this awareness does not translate to a broad acceptance of mouse meat being processed and made commercially available and this product is not seen as a palatable supermarket alternative to choices currently available. Although information on household income was not sought in this survey, 95% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they purchased the best quality cat food they could afford, and given the household structure of most respondents cat food and affiliated cat care products is still a lucrative market, subject to individual discretionary spending patterns, for products that are as engaging to cats as they are to their owner.

My cat likes to hunt mice.

Strongly Disagree Disagree 17% Agree Strongly Agree 53% Neither

5% 5% 20%

Figure 5 - 73% of respondents believe their cat likes to hunt mice

My cat occasionally displays aggressive behaviour.

12% 35% 18%

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree

35%

Strongly Agree

Figure 6 - Unprovoked aggressive behaviour in cats is an issue for 70% of respondents

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Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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KITTYS CATCH MOUSE MOUSSE

Conclusion Cats are maintained by their owners for the lifestyle, emotional and entertainment benefits they contribute to the household. Beyond satisfying rudimentary nutritional requirements and annual vet health checks, cat owners are happy to buy what looks and sounds good at the supermarket without feeling the need to delve deeper and research independently the cat food they are purchasing. Proceeding with the production of Kittys Catch Mouse Mousse in the concept format tested would be economically unviable with this low level of acceptance. There would be opposition and resistance to the advertising objectives, demand would be insufficient and projected sales would not materialise. Further investment on a product of this specific type would be imprudent. The survey results do suggest there may be demand for a type of mouse meat based cat food product integrated into a cats regular diet in some format, but not as a stand-alone product. Additional funding would be required to determine the most viable format it would be accepted in (i.e. as a niche product, as a dried chewy treat, integrated with other flavour varieties mouse & marrow, mouse & mackerel, mice & rice, critters of the field); but it would most likely be a very small market and the demand would not justify the investment required to produce a manufactured product that would fundamentally require mass market appeal to be profitable. Additionally, the Commonwealth and individual State statutory regulations required to be met for a mouse meat based product of this type would be higher than that for cat food currently available, and without the volume of mass market sales to absorb the compliance costs, this product would most likely be priced out of the market immediately. It should also be noted (see Figure 4) that the level of opposition to the concept of this product was quite different between cities which, moving forward, may require different advertising strategies in different metropolitan markets to overcome potentially geo-specific reasons for resistance to the product, which would add considerably to advertising production costs and further limit the perception of this as being a mass market product; further extinguishing this products long term economic viability. However, respondents did consistently express an interest in purchasing a variety of good quality cat food and were responsive to the tastes of their cat. There is scope to enter this market by developing quality food within the limitations of what is deemed acceptable ingredients by consumers that would stand out from competitors on the supermarket shelf without being too dissimilar in content, perhaps leveraging the image of the cats instinct to hunt in the brand identity but with more palatable product ingredients. Further, from responses given in the survey, addressing issues in cat behaviour is an additional area that could be tested in specific detail, as there may be scope to conceive and introduce more sophisticated and engaging (technologically advanced) toys to occupy bored cats and alleviate the mental frustration they may be experiencing by being left alone during the day.

Australian Companion Animal Council Inc, Contribution of the Pet Care Industry to the Australian Economy, 2006 p9 ii Australian Companion Animal Council Inc, above p3 iii Australian Companion Animal Council Inc, above p37

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Conduct Pre-Campaign Testing (BSBADV402B)

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