Felix cat food sponsors You’ve Been Framed

Nestlé Purina PetCare’s Felix cat food brand is to sponsor ITV1’s weekend show You’ve Been Framed in deal worth about &£1m.

It is the first time that Felix has sponsored a television show. The sponsorship credits and breakbumpers feature Felix – the cat – in a series of animated adventures, which reflect his cheeky nature and the theme of the programme. BMP DDB created the idents for the sponsorship, which airs on Saturday (May 4).

The sponsorship, which was negotiated between Granada Enterprises and OMD Affinity, targets housewives and families.

Nestlé Purina group brand manager Louise Radcliffe says: “The sponsorship provides excellent media value and is a great opportunity to target Felix’s core market through a prime-time show.”

Nestlé spends &£2.3m a year on advertising the Felix brand, according to AC Nielsen MMS.

But rival Whiskas, produced by Masterfoods, is the best-selling canned pet food brand, followed by canned versions of Pedigree and Felix, according to Information Resources’s 2001 survey. Whiskas is also the best-selling pet food brand in pouch format.

Nestlé appointed Phil Humphreys as top marketer for northern Europe for its pet food business (MW February 7), following the &£7.4bn acquisition of Ralston Purina Northern Europe last year. Prior to the purchase, Humphreys was commercial director for Nestlé-owned Friskies Petcare, which included the Felix brand.