So I was watching Animal Planet the other day when I saw the following commercial. If you haven't seen it, please take a look at it. See if you can spot what got me all disgruntled. (and for once it isn't about the food - although that is a whole different subject all together and yes, I can get all indignant about that too)
So did you see it? How about now?
The Before screenshot |
The During screenshot (yup, Iams can photoshop a few pounds off a cat.. impressive) |
The After screenshot |
So how many people think these are the same cats? I'm not even convinced the during and the after are the same cat although it is hard to tell because of the angles.. and the cat eating out of the bowl at the end.. a different cat..
Generally this wouldn't be an issue for me in a cat food commercial, as you have specialized cats that can perform specialized tricks. However when you start saying this is the before and the after, and this is the same kind of results your cat can achieve, you kinda need to use the same cat. If you don't you are now in the same field of scammers as the before and after shots of humans on diets on your facebook feed.. or in the back of rag magazines.
And since this is "Camo and Anna"'s commercial, I would think it would be important that an actual cat named Camo would be featured in it.. (oh come on Connie, this is TV, it's acting, it is all show, but STILL.. where is the truth in advertising? oh wait.. I just answered my own question)
*sigh*
Since I totally expect this kind of shenanigans from Iams, I'm not bothering to write to them and complain, they won't care. But I could not just let this go without saying ANYTHING..
because.. really?!?
So tell me, are you okay with this? Am I being overly sensitive?
NOT the same cat!
ReplyDeleteand...I call FOUL!
ReplyDeleteWow you have a good eye! I totally see it now that you pointed it out. Definitely not the same cat. I'm sure someone could totally sue them for it. Maybe Purina will catch it lol.
ReplyDeleteI agree - in a commercial like this, it should be non-actors and the same act, not different cats. If they want it all glossy and professional, then they should make a commercial that promotes what they say they product does - but not create fictional characters.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not the same cat ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteMarkings don't seem the same.....
ReplyDeleteHi from Spain!
ReplyDeleteAnything this guys do makes me cringe.
Also, a friend made me aware of this and since then I just can't go near their stuff: http://www.iamscruelty.com. I take PETA as a pretty reliable source.
Plus, now they sell you food to help your cat lose weight when it's their food full of carbs that made them overweight in the first place. Sorry if I seem bitter but it makes me so mad.
Great blog, thanks for sharing your experiences!
O.
The cat dieted so much even his stripes got skinny!
ReplyDeleteThat's nearly as good as the commercial (I think maybe for Meow Mix) where the cat takes CG-enhanced enormous bites so that his mouth opens like an unhinged snake's jaw.
Wow you are right, it's a different cat!
ReplyDeleteBut sadly, I'm not all surprised because there are already so many untruthful advertising out there.
Thank you for your comment about auction. I'll send you e-mail!
Poor cat, Iams made him lose his pretty swirls and end up with ordinary stripes... Wow, stupid.
ReplyDeleteYou may not be aware, but I don't know of any production company that doesn't use more than one animal in a commercial, it is standard practices. There is no big conspiracy here to deceive you.
ReplyDeleteI am aware of that CHo, and I thought I had touched upon that in the post. This commercial strongly gives the impression that THIS food helped THIS particular cat. To use three to four different cats and to try to pass them all off as Camo is just idiotic and comes off way too much like those cheezy before and after photos in scam weight loss advertisements.
DeleteYes, no big conspiracy in that fact, but the food.. huge conspiracy there to deceive you into thinking it is good for your cats or will help them loose weight in a healthy manner..
Hmmm ... so the food morphed him from a classic tabby to a mackeral tabby ... I wonder if it could change a tortie into a calico ...
ReplyDeleteNOT the same cat! Good catch!
ReplyDeleteinteresting....they photoshopped off his weight AND his stripes....for cods sake people - if you plan to mess with the public at least find a lookalike. doofusses
ReplyDeleteAt least get the photoshopping right! I really believe ANY of the ads promoting weight loss whether human or non human should be suspect. ALL professional shots are photoshopped. So I personally believe you never know what you're getting.
ReplyDeletethat is a bit naughty,xx Rachel
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the same cat - the first one is marbly, and the second one is more stripey. Laaaaame.
ReplyDeleteYeah, okay, I see technically how it was done - the leap was shot on green screen and composited over a background plate that was shot of the room. And I do get that when a TV spot concept is conceived, advertisers don't have the time, budget or patience to wait literally years to get footage - like they did for the movie "Boyhood". I do get that. Which *might* be why they purposefully were obvious about using two different cats (trying to be devil's advocate here). They want to use storytelling to sell people on the idea that weight-loss food is good (even though we all know dry kibble is NOT). So they make up a tale, hire a cat wrangler, get tabbies that are similar in color but not markings - perhaps purposefully - and then, with the help of a few special effects, visually illustrate the "story".
ReplyDeleteSo, does it violate truth in advertising? The FTC has specifically targeted advertising health claims in the past decade, filing over 125 cases against marketers. But that is for humans, not animals (who are sadly still considered property in courts of law). So, since the audio in the spot doesn't say anything wrong, they'd probably let it slide. Although they might suggest to Iam's that they add a CG tag (in uber-small print) on the screen saying 'simulated results'.
Definitely not the same cat. But we're not fans of Iams...and not worth complaining about to them.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to watching all the commercials. Great catch!
ReplyDeleteYou're right!!
ReplyDeleteThose are two different cats. Not photo shopped; because look at the fur, one has spots the other one has much bigger ones.
DeleteI believe there are actually four different cats in this commercial. the original classic tabby, the one that jumped (that they photoshopped losing weight as it jumped using the line in the middle as a before and after) one that sits next to the painting and one that runs up and eats the food.
DeleteI have no issue with a commercial using four different cats and trying to pretend they are all the same, my issue is that they were claiming THIS food helped THIS cat lose weight..
This advert has got me all kinds of annoyed. I wonder if Barney's diet will cause him to gain some stripes or change colour...
ReplyDeleteI'd rather the advert actually tracked a kitty losing weight and showed real results over time than in one 30 second advert where it's clearly faked. It's not a quick process and it has infuriated me a little.
Poor show, Iams.
I thought it was just me that had seen it the first time I watched it. The cat they first showed had a bulls eye marking and then all of a sudden it had plain stripes. I know as a cat grows it can develop a different look but I didn't feel it was a growth spurt in this case. Sure makes me feel better that I wasn't the only one who caught that.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't dare feed my kitty IAMS.. Never have cared for their brand. Seen too many kitties get sick or fat from their food.
Omg someone else noticed! I thought it was just me, no one else I know seems to have noticed...
ReplyDelete