Nestle Purina has hired an Internet sensation to represent Friskies cat food: Grumpy Cat. The cat with the permanent frown will soon appear in various promotions and "marketing opportunities" for the company.
Grumpy Cat is an online phenomenon with an enormous following on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Grumpy Cat, whose real name is Tardar Sauce (even better real name), already has a movie and a book deal in the works. There's also a ton of merchandise (shirts, hats, etc.) and an iced coffee drink featuring Grumpy Cat's likeness in the feline's future.
Too often companies eagerly try to jump on an Internet sensation only to find the boat has passed. The perfect example of this would be the short-lived Harlem Shake trend. Honestly, what the hell was that about? Companies and news stations tried to join in only to produce embarrassing results well after the fad had passed.
What do you think of this move by Nestle Purina? Have they missed the boat?
(H/T STL Today)
