A video produced by Buzzfeed and Nestlé Purina’s Friskies brand in the United States has become the most popular Buzzfeed film of the year, with more than 12 million views in its first few weeks online.
“Dear Kitten”, which sees an older cat passing his wisdom on to the household’s newest arrival, is the latest piece of dog and cat-related content Purina has created with the site after it became the first company to launch a branded page there two years ago.
The partnership with Buzzfeed, famous for an irreverent style that has enabled it to become one of the fast-growing social news and entertainment sites in the world, has given Purina access to a huge audience with a penchant for sharing posts about pets.
“Dear Kitten” - actually an advertisement for Friskies wet food - has achieved viral success thanks to its humorous, cat’s-eye-view of domestic life that people can relate to, combined with a lack of overt branding.