Amazon
Sorry, Cats
The Challenge
Over-packaged deliveries. We've all experienced it. Small box in a big box - endless cardboard - waste.
Amazon decided to do something about it. The company launched an innovation called 'Ships in Packaging' designed to make deliveries more sustainable. Thanks to this initiative, millions more parcels are now delivered with less packaging.
The company's communications team tasked 1000heads with developing a campaign to highlight to its customers that they choose to have packages shipped in their original packaging.
Our solution
In a sea of sustainability messaging, we knew we needed a way to land communicate this important information that would resonate with the millions of people who use Amazon every day.
We flipped the script.
Rather than ask ourselves how we'd communicate a simple benefit to a mass audience, attempting to find relevance with a diverse, disparate global audience, we asked ourselves this: If Amazon wins, who loses?
If Amazon successfully reduces the amount of packaging used, the whole planet benefits, but if we were able to flip our view of the story, we could give much greater focus to creative thinking.
Enter… 'Sorry, Cats'.
Fewer boxes is better for the planet and better for customers… but it's not better for one particular group of individuals. Cats. It's well-documented on social media that cats are obsessed with Amazon boxes.
We discovered a vibrant (and widespread) global online community sharing their cats' love for these cardboard havens. Recognizing this, we knew the initiative had to be more than a change in packaging; it was a cultural shift for our four-legged friends.
Implementation
The campaign launched with a heartfelt apology to cats for reducing packaging. It turned the tables.
Enter a world where everyone wins, except for the grumpy cats. An engaging, social-first story unfolded, capturing the whimsical essence of cats' box-loving adventures.
Navigating Amazon's packaging evolution to global success demanded a multi-faceted strategy. We transformed a 2-day shoot into 75 fit-for-feed videos, finely tuned for diverse local audiences.
Integrated PR and blog creativity extended our reach, engaging media audiences and amplifying impact beyond Amazon's social platforms.
From Boxes to Beats
To sustain the campaign's playful tone, we then developed a second phase - the cats created original cat-themed songs designed specifically for social audiences.
Drawing from viral music trends, we produced two distinct tracks: a lively 90s-inspired rap and a light-hearted country tune. Both songs humorously voiced the disappointment of cats losing their beloved boxes, turning Amazon's packaging shift into a relatable narrative.
The videos were socially native, designed to look like they were made using animated live photos. This approach invited audiences to join the trend by pairing our catchy sound with videos of their own disappointed cats "singing" along.
The combination of relatable music and easy participation drove organic engagement, making Amazon's sustainability message more memorable and widely.
Impact
The 'Sorry, Cats' campaign outperformed expectations - delivering best-in-class results across social.
The universality of the insight and the idea made for an easily localisable campaign - supporting the global nature of Amazon's business.