Ad of the Day | French "Crooner" seduces in new Sheba campaign by AMV BBDO

Mar. 29, 2019

A 1970s French romantic crooner – inspired by a combination of Engelbert Humperdinck and Serge Gainsbourg – takes centre stage in the latest instalment of Sheba’s ‘Resistance Is Futile’ campaign, created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

The mythical singer, Vincent Le Chat, stares down the barrel of the camera on a suitably 70s kitsch TV stage belting out a classically seductive love song of that period, as a visual metaphor for the mesmerising beguiling eyes of a cat when it wants feeding.

His song, ‘Nourris-Moi Bebe’ (Feed Me Now), includes lines such as “I’ll be your little kitten if you place me down some chicken” and “Surrender to your fate. It’s time to get my plate.” As the TV performance unfolds, the shot pans out to merge into the oval shape and blue colour of a cat’s iris. Opposite is the cat’s owner, as if in a trance, doing the cat’s bidding by offering a bowl of food. It is revealed that Vincent is the embodiment of the cat turning on its charms. And when they do then Resistance Is Futile. 

The 90-second ‘Crooner’ spot breaks in cinema from 29th March to 5th April with a 20-second version running on TV and online until 19th May.

Alex Grieve, Executive Creative Director at AMV BBDO, said: 

“Sheba has such a distinctive tone of voice– sophisticated, magnetic and irreverent. For this campaign we brought to life the irresistible charms of a cat when it wants something through the medium of the most suave and charismatic love song writers of all time, the French chanteurs. Every single detail from the cinematography to the casting to the music composition makes this campaign absolutely irresistible. How can you not be seduced?”

 

Anthony Dean, Sheba European Brand Director at Mars Petcare, added: 

“At Sheba we know that pet owners love their cat’s effortless, elegant and confident feline spirit. They truly have us wrapped around their little paws and we can’t help but give in. We hope everyone enjoys meeting “Vincent le Chat” as much as we enjoyed bringing him to life.”

 

Vincent Le Chat is played by Hugo Nicolau who started his artistic life taking piano lessons at the conservatoire in France. He has previously been in The Musketeers (2014), The Royals (2015) and Avenue to Nowhere (2015).  The audio production was by Mike Bamford from String and Tins, directors The Perlorian Brothers and production company MJZ