Global Ads Spotlight: Sheba's 'Gravy Race' was the most unexpected ad win of the year. Here's why

If someone told you a lesser-known cat food brand would one-up the marketing noise of March Madness, you'd roll your eyes and scroll on.

But that's exactly what Sheba - a relatively quiet name in the US pet food market - pulled off with one of the most bizarre, entertaining, and unexpectedly effective campaigns in recent memory: The Gravy Race.

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Let's start with the setup.

Sheba owned just 3% of the US cat food market, had little digital clout, and was launching a new product - Gravy Indulgence Entrees - whose biggest selling point was... 70% gravy. Not exactly viral material, right?

Wrong.

Catfluencers + Sports Commentary = Marketing Gold

Sheba's agency, AMV, knew cat owners can't resist quirky, scroll-stopping content. So instead of going the emotional storytelling route like some competitors, they turned the launch into an event: a sports-style tournament featuring eight cat influencers, complete with play-by-play commentary from the legendary Ian Eagle.

Yes, the same Ian Eagle who usually calls basketball games, now describing cats slurping gravy like it was the NBA Finals.

Dubbed the Gravy Race, the campaign aired during March Madness, capitalizing on the sports frenzy but replacing slam dunks with slurp.

The results? Pretty nuts.

- 16.5 million organic views (yes, that's more than some March Madness games pulled)

- A tripling of online share of voice (from 8% to 25%)

- An 18% boost in sales

- Over 50% more value sales than projected for the year

Not bad for a campaign about cat food, right?

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Awards and Recognition

The ad world noticed too. The Gravy Race took home:

- A Grand Prix, Gold, and Bronze at the 2024 London International Awards

- A win at the D&AD Awards for Social Media Impact

It wasn’t just a cat video gone viral. This was a cleverly engineered cultural moment. The absurdity of cats racing for gravy, narrated like a Final Four showdown, tapped into what the internet loves most: unexpected mashups, pets, and parody-level commitment.

Why it Worked

This wasn't just marketing fluff with fur. Sheba's campaign hit the sweet spot between strategy and silliness. It didn't try to be heart-warming. It didn't try to tug on consumer guilt or love for pets.

It just asked: What if gravy was as thrilling as basketball? And boy, did it work!

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