Why it’s raining cats and dogs in the ad world
©Will Vanlue, Creative Commons (2009)
REPORT
13 Oct 2014
Why it’s raining cats and dogs in the ad world

The ad industry has fallen in love with cute animals. McVitie’s offers up 'Sweeet' kittens and puppies, O2 has a cat acting canine, and Three has featured both a moonwalking pony and a hilariously-dressed pug. But why do puppies, ponies and penguins mean such serious business?

Patrick Fagan

Patrick sits at the intersection of behavioural science and data science. He is an expert in personalised persuasion – that is, how to target nudges specifically depending on audience and context; social proof, for example, might work for charities but not for luxury watches. Patrick also consults on comms psychology – how to grab attention, engage emotionally, and nudge behaviour. He is a part-time university lecturer and author of a marketing comms book, Hooked, and his work has appeared in international press. He has provided psychology consulting to household-name brands for over a decade.

access profile
More from this author
Related