CASE 152 / Hellmann’s / Unilever / 2024
Mayo Cat
Attach a memorable entertainment device to one practical, supportable product action, then measure whether people actually use it.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: VML creative, Mindshare media; directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon through Furlined. Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson appear with cat actor Chipmunk.
Recognition: No award claim made.
Launch / edition: 2024. Award years: No award claim.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
Hellmann’s wanted to connect its food-waste purpose to a practical use for mayonnaise during the Super Bowl period. The creative problem was making a household leftovers message noticeable within a heavily advertised entertainment event without turning the spot into a lecture.
How the idea came to life
Kate McKinnon discovers that her cat’s sound resembles the product word and uses mayonnaise with leftovers. The cat then becomes a fictional celebrity, with a Pete Davidson cameo extending the fame joke. The product cue remains the verbal pivot of the comedy.
How it reached people
The programme included a teaser, a longer online film and a thirty-second game spot, supported by social, shopper, public relations and outdoor activity. A Las Vegas Sphere appearance extended the character into another media environment. Furlined’s account specifies regional Best Foods branding where appropriate.
Supporting sources: Primary agency case → Primary brand release via wire → Primary brand release via wire → Primary production-company press page reproducing trade reporting → Primary agency-group case →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
VML and WPP report more than eighteen billion impressions, with WPP also reporting over 360 earned placements. These are agency-group claims without a published deduplication method or clear outcome window. They are not eighteen billion people and do not measure household food actually saved.
The creative mechanism.
Product-linked comic mnemonic
Give a purpose message an immediate product action
A broad ambition becomes more usable when the audience knows one thing to do next. Identify a genuinely relevant use case before adding a cause line. For food brands, practical recipe information and safe storage guidance matter more than implying a condiment can rescue any leftover regardless of its condition.
Make the joke remember the product
The cat’s sound is the bridge between entertainment and mayonnaise. Test whether viewers can retell that relationship, not just name the celebrity or animal. A small business can build a mnemonic around a familiar sound or phrase without copying the character, provided the joke does not obscure the actual use or brand.
Extend the character only where it adds a new job
The film establishes the premise, social can sustain it and a retail placement can prompt action near purchase. A character should not simply be pasted everywhere. Write down what each extension helps the audience understand or do, and remove placements that add expense without strengthening the intended behaviour.
Measure behaviour separately from conversation
Food-waste awareness, recipe use, purchase and reduced disposal are distinct outcomes. A large publicity total cannot substitute for household measurement. If impact is central, run a consented, well-defined study with a comparison group and honest limitations; otherwise report engagement as engagement and avoid claiming environmental savings that were never observed.
The intended behavior loop
- 01Remember product cue
- 02Try a safe recipe
- 03Repeat a useful habit
Growth job: Awareness → Product understanding → Behavior change. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Attach a memorable entertainment device to one practical, supportable product action, then measure whether people actually use it.
Keep these boundaries
Do not equate impressions with food saved or suggest that adding a condiment makes unsafe leftovers edible.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
A deli creates three short, original leftover-use tips with a simple recurring verbal cue and clear food-safety boundaries.
Build the test
- Choose recipes using safely stored ingredients and have a qualified food-safety reviewer check the guidance.
- Make one demonstration per clip, with readable ingredients and optional substitution advice.
- Invite adults who already want cooking tips to try a recipe and voluntarily report usefulness without public food diaries.
Measure the right thing
Track recipe completion and repeat use; measure discarded food only in a separately designed, consented study.
Know when to stop
Stop a tip if viewers interpret it as advice to use spoiled food or the recipe lacks reliable safety guidance.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Awareness → Product understanding → Behavior change
What to adapt: Attach a memorable entertainment device to one practical, supportable product action, then measure whether people actually use it.
Prerequisites: Food-safety expertise; Original recurring cue; Clear distinction between reach and impact.
Smaller-team route: A deli creates three short, original leftover-use tips with a simple recurring verbal cue and clear food-safety boundaries.
Budget: Not established by the opened evidence. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- VML: Mayo Cat →Primary agency case · Supports: Creative objective, 60-second reveal, cross-channel extensions and reported impressions.
- Hellmann’s: Mayo Cat full reveal →Primary brand release via wire · Supports: 30 January 2024 reveal, cast, plot and Sphere activation.
- Hellmann’s: Mayo Cat teaser →Primary brand release via wire · Supports: 22 January 2024 teaser and cat actor identity.
- Furlined: Mayo Cat production account →Primary production-company press page reproducing trade reporting · Supports: Director credits, 11 February game date, spot lengths and Best Foods regional branding.
- WPP: VML and Mindshare Mayo Cat →Primary agency-group case · Supports: VML/Mindshare credit; over 18 billion impressions and over 360 earned placements are agency-reported.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.