Having recently been asked to do some work for a pet nutrition brand, it was with some interest that I recently began following the Shanghai International Pet Fair, which was taking place in, well, Shanghai.
According to the organisers, it was set to be the largest international pet fair ever held.
This might or might not be true, given that China has something of a history of dubious boasts when it comes to scale. But that’s a different story.
The one I want to focus on now was precipitated by this image on X, which grabbed my attention during my lunch hour. Amongst other things, it does a good job of demonstrating the resourcefulness of the Chinese when it comes to finding advertising space in the most unconventional of locations:
In case you’re wondering, the lady in the image is live streaming her company’s wares online, a huge source of sales for brands in China.
The unconventional location is of course the space above her head which, realising it is effectively 'dead space' and thus a wasted marketing opportunity, she has filled it with a sign saying “Free bowl, Free cat bag”.
“Bowl”, I get. But what the heck is a “Cat Bag”?
Not one to pussyfoot around, I looked it up straight away and here are just some of the items that crept out of the crypt:
...and...
...and yes, there's more...
I feel for that last chappie. He looks like he'd rather not be seen. And who can blame him?
As for the Yuri Gagarin look, well let's just say it's not one for the cool cats, is it.
Over the years, I've come to learn that it's not unusual for a Westerner immersed in China to raise a wry smile now and then.
But today was enough to leave me grinning like a Cheshire cat.
I’ll get my coat. Fur, of course.
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