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 The current logo for Meow Mix | |
| Product type | Cat food |
|---|---|
| Owner | J.M. Smucker |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1974 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Tagline | Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name |
| Website | www |
Meow Mix is an American brand of cat food sold by The J.M. Smucker Company, known popularly for its advertising jingle. Meow Mix was introduced in 1974 and sells many flavors, including "Original Choice" and "Seafood Medley". It also is known for selling "Alley Cat" dry cat food. Their current slogan is "it's the only brand cats ask for by name".
The Meow Mix Company operates from a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) facility in Decatur, Alabama, and produces Alley Cat brand cat food products. Originally a product of Ralston-Purina, Meow Mix was divested for antitrust reasons in the early 2000s. The brand was acquired by Del Monte Foods in May, 2006. Their most famous slogan is, "Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name." The company was acquired by Cypress Group, a New York-based private equity firm in a $425 million leveraged buyout in 2003. Three years later, Del Monte Foods acquired the company for $705 million.[1][2] The company had also been owned by J. W. Childs Associates which acquired the business in 2001 for $160 million. On March 23, 2015, parent company Big Heart Pet Brands was acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company[3] for $5.8 billion.[4]
"The Meow Mix Theme" was written by Shelly Palmer in 1970.[5] The idea came from Ron Travisano, at the advertising agency of Della Femina Travisano and Partners, who had the account with Ralston-Purina in 1974. The first TV spot aired in 1974 and consisted of animals walking across the screen.[6] Travisano put together film footage with editor Jay Gold, looping footage of a cat, both in forward and reverse to make it look like it was "singing". The music was then composed by Tom McFaul of the jingle house Lucas/McFaul, one of the major jingle-composing houses at the time. Working from Travisano's film, McFaul wrote and produced music to fit, with the actual meowing performed by professional singer Linda November.[7][8] Travisano then came up with the idea of adding English "translation" subtitles, along with a bouncing ball pointing out the words, which often reflected the specific flavor(s) of Meow Mix product being advertised and changed from commercial to commercial.[9]
"The Meow Mix Theme" was used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency as part of torture and interrogation programs.[10]
