Meow Mix House Lands on Primetime
Meow Mix is going primetime with its new reality TV show debuting this week on Animal Planet.
Ten “cat-testants” from shelters across the country (Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Portland and St. Louis) are vying for two top jobs at the Meow Mix Co. under the first-ever reality show starring cats. The Meow Mix House will air June 16 at 9 p.m. ET on Animal Planet in three-minute segments for 10-weeks. Each week, one cat will be voted out and sent to their new home. Each cat that is voted off will receive a consolation prize of a year’s supply of Meow Mix cat food.
As in any good reality show, the cats will compete in challenges, including best purr, paw painting and top climber. Meow Mix executives will judge the cats and the last cat standing will be hired as the company’s feline VP of research and development. A second yet-to-be-announced executive job at Meow Mix will go to the cat deemed most popular by viewers via online voting at MeowMixHouse.com. Also on the site, visitors can watch contestants via Web cams installed in the house and find cat biographies and product information.
Consumers can visit the reality show stars in person at the Meow Mix House set at 425 Madison Avenue (corner of 49th Street) during the 10-day promotion, which begins today. Meow Mix has set up a temporary home for the furry housemates complete with a kitchen, living room and bedroom (PROMO, May 2006). Grand Central Marketing, New York City, handles.
An open house is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight at the house followed by a cocktail reception. During the event, visitors can meet the contestants, tour the set and preview the show’s first episode. Past reality show stars will be on hand at the event, including Alex Michel from The Bachelor, Jonny Fairplay from Survivor, Adam Mesh from Average Joe, Nick Warnock from The Apprentice, Gervase Perterson from Survivor and Sarah Kozer from Joe Millionaire. The Meow Mix House will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from June 14 to June 23.
“We’re hoping to show cat lovers how committed we are to creating cat entertainment,” Grand Central Marketing CEO Matthew Glass said.
As part of the promotion, Meow Mix is trying to raise awareness for pet adoption from shelters and rescue groups across the country.
The reality show follows Meow Mix’s popular Meow Mix Café, a temporary store that opened in 2005 in Manhattan for cats and their owners. The show, however, isn’t the first for the company. Meow Mix launched Meow TV, a 30-minute program for cats (and their owners) on the Oxygen Network in 2003.
Street teams will build excitement around the promotion driving around New York City in the iconic Meow Mix vehicle, distributing samples of Meow Mix market Select products, a new line of wet cat food in plastic cups, and invitations to the Meow Mix House.
The first-ever cat reality show gives Meow Mix a chance to tout its brand beyond commercials via product placement.
“This is branded entertainment 101,” Glass said. “This really is the perfect example of branding and putting something meaningful…and some personality behind the brand.”
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