Ten felines from shelters all over the country have been selected to compete in the inaugural edition of The Meow Mix House. The cats will travel to New York City and live together in a specially-designed dwelling.
Beginning June 6, they'll star in an Internet show where cameras will follow their daily activities. Edited footage will be used for 10 three- to five-minute commercials that will run between TV programs or possibly a 30-minute cable TV show.
People with Internet access will be able to view all the action in real time and find out just what cats do all day when their owners aren't around. Because not everyone can understand what cats say, pop-up dialogue bubbles will help translate the meows into English.
People can go online to vote for their favorite feline, and the cat with the fewest votes will be evicted from the house. Whichever cat gets the boot that week will be adopted into a permanent home and receive a one-year supply of Meow Mix as a consolation prize.
In addition to winning a new life with a new family, the last cat standing will receive a job working for The Meow Mix Company as Feline Vice President of Research and Development. He or she will be responsible for taste testing and offering valuable feedback on new Meow Mix product launches and line extensions.
Cats from ten cities, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, St. Louis, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Portland, Ore., have been selected to compete in the show. Meow Mix, in collaboration with local animal shelters, will pre-select a family in each city to adopt the cats after their tenure in the house ends.
Meow Mix will use the reality show as a platform to showcase its products. The cats will eat Meow Mix Indoor Formula and the brands newest offering, Meow Mix Market Select wet food. In addition, the companys new line of cat treats will be offered to winners of reward challenges.
This isn't the first time Meow Mix has launched a groundbreaking promotion for cats. In 2004, the company opened the Meow Mix Caf, the first-ever restaurant for cats and their owners, for a two-week run in midtown Manhattan.
The prior year, Meow Mix created Meow TV, the first television show where cats were the target audience.
For more information about the contest, visit www.meowmix.com.
Posted: May 16, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST