Beyond the Cute Cat Meme: How Cat Food Brand Smalls is Redefining Pet Advertising with Absurdist Minimalism

Main Facts: The "Is Cat" Campaign and the Departure from Pet Food Cliches

In a landscape saturated with hyper-polished imagery of pristine pets and microscopic breakdowns of kibble ingredients, the direct-to-consumer cat food brand Smalls has launched a highly unconventional out-of-home (OOH) poster campaign. Stripping away the traditional visual signifiers of the pet food sector—such as bowls, food packaging, and explicit ingredient lists—the brand has opted for a minimalist, text-driven approach that relies on consumer intelligence and the unique, often eccentric psychology of cat ownership.

The campaign centers around a deceptively simple linguistic template: "[Noun/Phrase] is cat."

Visual and Textual Architecture

Rendered in a muted, retro-inspired color palette, the posters feature bold brown typography stamped against a warm, butter-yellow background. Each poster pairs a short, quirky phrase with a candid, unposed photograph of a cat exhibiting natural, everyday behavior.

Key executions of the campaign include:

• "Getting the good spot is cat": Paired with an image of an imperious ginger tomcat sprawled luxuriously across a carpet, bathed in a single shaft of sunlight.
• "Irish exiting is cat": Placed alongside a shot of a cat stealthily slipping out of the frame past a human’s ankles.
• "A dirty martini is cat": A highly abstract comparison that equates the uncompromising, sophisticated, and slightly aloof nature of a classic cocktail with feline temperament.
• "Solitude is cat" and "Smalls is cat": Direct, punchy statements that establish a proprietary brand vocabulary.

By eschewing the traditional sales pitch, Smalls is betting that modern pet owners—particularly Millennials and Gen Z—will respond more favorably to a brand that captures the authentic, often absurd reality of living with a cat, rather than one that simply displays a cute animal next to a can of pâté.

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|                                                                 |
|   GETTING THE GOOD SPOT                                         |
|   IS CAT.                                                       |
|                                                                 |
|          [ Photo of a ginger cat sprawled on a carpet ]         |
|                                                                 |
|   smalls                                                        |
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Chronology: The Evolution of Pet Advertising and Internet Culture

To understand why Smalls’ campaign is being viewed as a significant creative departure, it is necessary to examine the historical trajectory of pet food marketing and its intersection with digital culture.

1. The Clinical Era (1950s–1990s)

For decades, pet food advertising was dominated by legacy conglomerates. The marketing playbook was rigid: focus on convenience, cost-effectiveness, and basic nutritional science. Ads typically featured voiceovers from actors playing veterinarians, demonstrations of "crunch tests," or slow-motion shots of dogs catching kibble in mid-air. Cats were treated as smaller, slightly more finicky dogs, with campaigns focusing heavily on palatability (e.g., the "finicky eater" trope).

2. The Premiumization and "Humanization" Era (2000s–2010s)

As the demographic makeup of pet owners shifted, pets were increasingly elevated from backyard companions to full-fledged family members—a sociological trend known as "pet humanization." Advertising evolved accordingly. Brands began emphasizing human-grade ingredients, organic sourcing, and specific health benefits (e.g., grain-free, joint health). Visually, campaigns leaned heavily into raw ingredients—vibrant sweet potatoes, fresh cuts of salmon, and leafy greens—displayed alongside perfectly groomed animals.

3. The Digital Boom and Meme Culture (Late 2000s–Present)

Parallel to the evolution of pet food packaging was the explosive rise of internet cat culture. From the early days of "I Can Has Cheezburger" and LOLcats in the mid-2000s to the viral TikTok and Instagram cat influencers of today, felines became the undisputed rulers of digital entertainment.

However, mainstream commercial advertising remained surprisingly hesitant to adopt the weird, ungrammatical, and dry humor of internet cat culture. Most brands continued to rely on safe, sanitized "cuteness" to drive sales.

4. The Smalls Intervention (Present Day)

Recognizing a widening gap between how cat owners actually talk about their pets online and how traditional brands talk to them, Smalls conceived the "Is Cat" campaign. By launching a series of posters that feel more like high-concept editorial design or internet memes than commercial advertisements, Smalls has officially bridged the gap between dry feline humor and premium consumer goods.

Supporting Data: The Economics and Psychology of Feline Marketing

The strategic gamble behind Smalls’ campaign is supported by robust consumer data and psychological insights regarding pet ownership.

The Demographics of the Modern Pet Parent

The target audience for premium, direct-to-consumer pet food brands like Smalls is overwhelmingly comprised of younger generations. According to data from the American Pet Products Association (APPA):

• Millennials and Gen Z now account for nearly 49% of all pet owners in the United States.
• These demographics are highly skeptical of traditional, over-explained advertising. A study by HubSpot revealed that 84% of Millennials do not trust traditional advertising, preferring authentic, narrative-driven, or humor-based brand communications.

The Psychology of Cat Ownership

The campaign’s success relies on a deeply understood truth about cat behavior, famously summarized by the late author and journalist Christopher Hitchens:

"Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods."

Cats are notoriously independent, aloof, and unpredictable. Unlike dogs, who are often marketed through themes of loyalty, energy, and obedience, cats possess a distinct personality characterized by quiet defiance, calculated affection, and a total disregard for human schedules.

By aligning its brand voice with these intrinsic feline behaviors, Smalls taps into a powerful psychological phenomenon: in-group signaling. When a cat owner sees a poster that reads "Irish exiting is cat," they feel an immediate sense of shared understanding. The brand isn’t just trying to sell them wet food; it is demonstrating that it understands the unique, occasionally baffling reality of living with a feline.

Official Responses and Creative Critique

The campaign has generated significant discussion within the advertising, design, and marketing communities, drawing praise for its creative bravery as well as some skepticism regarding its abstract nature.

Creative Industry Praise

Prominent design critics and advertising professionals have lauded the campaign for its minimalist restraint. Writing for Creative Bloq, award-winning journalist and design author Tom May praised the brand’s willingness to trust its audience:

"What I like most is how it doesn’t talk down to consumers, and trusts them to do a bit of brain work. For example, ‘dirty martini is cat’ doesn’t make a lot of sense, literally. But if you know cats and lovers of dirty Martinis, you know both are grounded in the same philosophy: doing your own thing, on your own terms, without much interest in what anyone else thinks."

May added that Smalls is playing a "long game" by building a proprietary brand language rather than a simple, transactional ad campaign. "Most brand campaigns explain themselves to death, layering tagline over strapline over copy until any wit or subtlety is lost. Smalls has gone to the opposite extreme, believing that even a daft phrase can carry meaning if it’s repeated enough."

Market Skepticism

Despite the critical acclaim, some traditional marketing analysts have raised concerns about the campaign’s return on investment (ROI) for out-of-home media. The primary criticisms include:

• Lack of Product Context: A passerby unfamiliar with the brand "Smalls" might not immediately realize the posters are advertising cat food, potentially leading to wasted ad spend among non-cat owners.
• Abstract Metaphors: For older demographics or consumers accustomed to direct-response marketing, phrases like "A dirty martini is cat" may register as nonsensical rather than clever.

However, brand advocates argue that in a crowded digital landscape, generating curiosity and driving search traffic is often more valuable than delivering a blunt, easily forgotten sales pitch.

Implications: The Rise of "Vibe-Based" Marketing and Brand Languages

The Smalls "Is Cat" campaign is indicative of a broader, structural shift in how modern direct-to-consumer brands approach identity and consumer engagement.

1. The Shift to "Vibe-Based" Marketing

We are witnessing the decline of the hyper-functional, feature-benefit advertisement. In an era where consumers can instantly research ingredients, reviews, and pricing on their smartphones, the role of top-of-funnel advertising is no longer to educate, but to establish an emotional or aesthetic connection—a "vibe."

Smalls is not selling the chemical composition of its cat food; it is selling an appreciation for the feline mystique. If a consumer aligns with the brand’s cultural worldview, they are far more likely to trust the brand’s physical product.

2. The Power of the Modular Campaign Template

By establishing the "[X] is cat" formula, Smalls has created a highly scalable, modular brand language. This template can be endlessly adapted across various touchpoints:

• Social Media: Users can submit their own "is cat" definitions, turning the campaign into an interactive, user-generated content engine.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborators can create hyper-specific localized executions (e.g., "A crowded subway line is not cat; a quiet brownstone window is cat").
• Product Extensions: The brand can easily transition this language into merchandise, packaging, and community-building events.

Conclusion: A Creatively Brave Bet

Ultimately, Smalls’ latest campaign represents a bold departure from the safe, formulaic world of pet advertising. By rejecting the easy route of superficial cuteness and embracing the weird, complex, and highly specific realities of cat behavior, the brand has created a memorable cultural artifact.

In a world where most brands are desperate to explain themselves, Smalls has chosen to speak in code to those who know cats best. It is a creatively brave strategy—and one that is, undoubtedly, incredibly cat.