Cat litter is a commodity. At least, that’s what it seemed when my advertising agency team was asked to introduce a new product in a market already “littered” with options.
But our client, an entrepreneur with great passion and tremendous flair, had a secret weapon. All the litters then on the market were made from clay or alfalfa. His was made from recycled newspaper.
The products on the market were relatively dust-free, absorbent and acceptable. That’s pretty much what the focus respondents told us. But I’m getting ahead of myself here (and this may all sound familiar if you have already read “Just When You Think You’re Perfect”) ...
The creative team, and all of our friends and relatives and everyone on the planet who was intrigued by the idea of working on a cat litter account, came up with a dozen or so concepts. The products that were on the market positioned what amounts to cat toilet paper very delicately, with pretty product names and photos of cute cats on their packaging. We did some of those. We also had “Mess Kit,” which had a military theme, and a couple of other concepts with unprintable names (think: “S*&@!y Kitty”) that we showed the client as a joke.
And then, of course, we had the kicker.
Our creative director, the fantastically talented Ray Clark, suggested that the value proposition of the cat litter needed to be front and center. He suggested that the best way to attract customers to a new product was to explain why and how it was different. He and the art director, the fantastically talented Bill Stone, came up with a package that looked like a newspaper. It had cat photos, but it also told the story of the product and its ingredients; that newspaper was potentially more absorbent, etc.
They called their concept “Yesterday’s News.” (I don't have an image but am trying to locate one.)
Our client liked the concept, but was adamant that the secret ingredient remain secret (although, as everyone agreed, a scientist in a lab could have figured it out in an hour. It seems to me now that the packaging ingredients would also have told the tale, but this is a long time ago and I don’t know what the disclosure requirements were then). Nevertheless, he agreed to allow us to test “Yesterday’s News” along with the other, more traditional brand and packaging concepts.
So in came the cat owners to the focus groups, an extremely committed and enthusiastic (and entertaining) group who took their job quite seriously. As noted, they found their existing cat litter options perfectly acceptable. And they liked the other options we showed them as well. It was all very pleasant, but not very definitive.
But then, of course, there was “Yesterday’s News.” It was clearly and obviously different from the outset. The cat owners said that the design would stand out on the shelf, and that they would at least look at the bag. They liked that the packaging told a story. If they had never used newspaper with their cat, most had an intuitive sense that it might work. They were willing to try it.
Our client immediately recognized, and accepted, that his secret was actually his hook.
Yes, “Yesterday’s News” is still on the market. It is now a Purina offering in the “alternative cat litter” segment. The branding is very green, and the bag is one of the first recyclable cat litter bags on the market. The ingredients are stated up front. “Yesterday’s News” is now part of a movement!
The principle endures. Finding the unique value in a product or service isn’t always straightforward, and not every company or organization is willing to do something unique. In addition, not everyone has the luxury of doing extensive research to help validate their concepts.
But here are a few things that anyone can keep in mind:
1. Always respect consumers. Give them the data that they need to understand your value. The more simply your messages are conveyed, the better.
2. Again, not everyone can do a big market research project (or at least not every time) to get external feedback and validation. But anyone can pick up the phone and make a couple of calls. Develop relationships and ask for advice. If you are concerned about appearing vulnerable, get help in learning how to present your ideas and concepts.
3. As you cultivate trusted advisors, they will be increasingly motivated to help you. But this is not a one-way street. Make yourself available, too. Know what you have to offer, and offer it freely.
4. Take risks. It worked for “Yesterday’s News.”
