• by Fern Siegel , April 1, 2024

The Sheba cat food brand is introducing its new Gravy Indulgence entrée with The Gravy Race.

The campaign, created by AMV BBDO, has eight famous internet felines compete against one another by licking a line of gravy. The first to finish wins. The twist? Ian Eagle, the noted sports announcer on CBS and TNT, will call the action.

The fastest gravy licker will move onto the next round — until only one cat remains, becoming The Gravy Race Champion. The big final will be live streamed from Times Square in New York City.

Contestants include popular internet cats, such as @waffles_the_cat, @my_boy_belarus and @cobythecat.

The new product comes in an twin pack that is 70% gravy and 30% cuts of beef, chicken or fish. “For cats, licking is a sign of bonding, and now the Sheba brand has delivered the ultimate lick of gravy goodness that shows our feline friends just how much they’re adored,” said Jean-Paul Jansen, CMO of Mars Pet Nutrition North America, Sheba's parent company.

The integrated campaign launches with a 30-second spot on TikTok and Instagram, introducing the competitors, followed by the competition heats, semi- and finals across Instagram and TikTok. Media buys were TikTok, Meta and OOH.

Andre Sallowicz, AMV BBDO creative partner, said: “The Gravy Race has all the right ingredients to be one of the most famous competitions in the world: internet-famous cats, a top sports commentator, and a track made of Sheba Gravy Indulgence entrées.”

On Instagram Stories, ads will encouraging audiences to vote for who they think has the quickest lick. The audience will also be able to click through to buy the product while watching the race.