Only 1% of cats are insured in the U.S., showing a massive market opportunity and need for education on the topic. This also means there are many brands investing in pet insurance education and vying for pet parents’ attention. As a newer brand to the category that’s still growing - and the first cat-only provider - Felix must identify unique ways to stand out within the broader category to raise awareness and consideration.
2023 saw a feline-first: a cat was featured on TIME’S Person of the Year cover - alongside, of course, Taylor Swift. The image of Swift's cat, Benjamin Button, draped across her shoulders proved that cats are most definitely having a moment. As the ONLY pet insurance brand that’s ONLY for cats, Felix knew it was uniquely positioned to jump on this opportunity to give cats the due they deserve, while doing some good in the world. So with the spotlight on Taylor Swift and Benjamin Button, Felix quickly mobilized, not only to join the conversation but to lead it with a cause close to our hearts: adoption.
We leveraged the buzz around the TIME x Taylor cover to ladder back to broader brand objectives:
We knew that in order to effectively leverage the TIME x Taylor newscycle, we would have to act quickly. In just 48 hours after the cover debut, we leapt into action, partnering with the Brooklyn Cat Café, a beloved non-profit adoption center and café in the top media market of New York. Our mission? To use this opportunity to shine the spotlight on 13 (Taylor’s favorite number) irresistibly adoptable cat. Each cat was renamed after iconic Taylor Swift songs and lyrics, weaving her influence into the heart of our campaign.
We orchestrated a photoshoot for our ensemble of 13 'Swifty' kitties and dubbed each “Cat of the Year” to play off the TIME cover. Each feline star was featured on their very own "ADOPT" magazine cover, turning them into cover stars and visually-disruptive assets to leverage with media relations and social content.
With our covers in-hand, we pitched our Swifty Kitties to entertainment, lifestyle and pet media outlets. We aimed to build on the TIME momentum to highlight these deserving kitties, while authentically tying the adoption occasion to the need for our product, cat insurance. This content also unlocked dynamic social posts for both Felix and the Brooklyn Cat Cafe which drove positive consumer engagement.
In conjunction with the covers, Felix made a $34K donation to the Cafe in honor of Taylor’s 34th birthday.
Our "Cat of the Year" campaign made an instant impression, resulting in the following within 24 hours:
On social media, posts for this promotion quickly earned impressions totaling 30,791 — a 1600% increase compared to the average impressions for other posts that month. Additionally, the posts earned the below without any paid support:
Brooklyn Cat Café also saw increased engagement on their channels due to the program.
Beyond the placements and impressions, the true success was finding fur-ever homes for four cats - Superman, Maroon, Karma and Lavender.
