Fresh Step uses AI to spotlight adoptable cats
Launched the morning after the 2023 Met Gala, the brand’s ‘Adoptable Gala’ campaign aims to promote pet adoption nationwide.
Louie is currently up for adoption in New York City. Diamond-encrusted garment not included. / Dentsu
Fresh Step is giving adoptable cats a high-fashion makeover using AI.
This morning, the cat litter brand launched the “Adoptable Gala,” a campaign that uses generative AI – a subclass of AI that creates text, images and other forms of content from user prompts – to create digital images of real cats bedecked in outlandish and luxurious outfits. Those AI-generated outfits have been intentionally designed to resemble those that one might expect to see at the illustrious Met Gala, the annual fundraising and fashion event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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The ‘Adoptable Gala’ was developed in collaboration with marketing agency Dentsu and in partnership with the Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit focused on animal rescue, sheltering and adoption. The campaign – which is currently rolling out across Fresh Step’s official Instagram account – features cats that are currently up for adoption in New York City and aims to encourage pet adoption across the US.
The launch of the campaign follows hot on the heels of the 2023 Met Gala, which took place yesterday evening. Actor Jared Leto made headlines by showing up to the event in a full-body costume of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s cat.
Jared Leto showed up to the Met Gala in a giant costume resembling Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's cat. https://t.co/2jJ7tDbL0K pic.twitter.com/OATdmYGq5B
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 2, 2023
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“If ever there was a pet suited for couture, it would be a cat,” Eric Jamison, Marketing director at Fresh Step, said in a statement. “We’re passionate about helping cats in need, and when we learned that it would be the first time a cat would be invited to the biggest fashion event of the year, it gave us an incredible idea to spotlight shelter cats by giving them a virtual red–carpet treatment. Our goal is for every cat to find a loving home.”
Fresh Step’s new campaign arrives at a time when a growing number of brands have begun adopting generative AI for marketing purposes. Coca-Cola, for example, recently launched “Create Real Magic,” a contest that challenged digital artists to create original Coke-themed assets using Dall-E 2 and ChatGPT.
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