What is "catvertising"

Catvertising is the use of cats in advertising. Although cats have been used in advertising for many years, the technique was first given its own name in about 1999. The term, a blend word from cat and advertising, enjoyed a spike in popularity beginning 2011 as a result of a parody of commercialization of cat viral videos by the advertising agency john st. in Toronto, Canada. It was nominated for a Webby Award in 2012. The video was part of a series of spoofs beginning with "Pink Ponies: A Case Study", then Catvertising, and finally "Buyral" (a blend of "buy" and "viral"). A University of Arizona marketing team competes under the name "Catvertising."

This style of advertisement is sometimes simply referred to as a "cat commercial."