Cat Genius
- Brand
- Opti Life
- Year
- 2022
- Objective
- Product Launch
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Quiz & Trivia
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Poppr
Objective
Versele-Laga was launching Opti Life, a new premium cat food brand, into a crowded category across Belgium, the Netherlands and France, and needed to convince skeptical, choosy cat owners to give it a try. It asked Poppr for a digital experience that would generate buzz, build instant brand recognition and drive strong sales at launch — while also teaching owners more about their cats and building a relationship with prospective buyers. The team first considered an AR execution but moved to the web for broader reach.
Solution
The player lands on catgenius.eu and steps into a real-time 3D story starring Simba, a photorealistic cat trying to find his way home to his food bowl. Obstacles keep blocking the path, and the only way to clear them is to answer quiz questions about cat care and behavior; partway through, an optional mini-game breaks up the story. Every right answer nudges Simba a step closer to his bowl, and once he reaches it the session ends with a €5 cashback voucher and a chance to win a box of Opti Life food plus a District 70 cat scratcher. It all runs straight in the browser on desktop or mobile, no install needed, with a separate localized version for each of the three markets.
- 1
The player opens catgenius.eu (localized per market, such as /be_nl) to a start screen for Opti Life's "Cat Genius": a trivia quest starring a cat named Simba trying to get home.
- 2
The core experience is an interactive 3D story rendered live in the browser, on desktop and mobile, in which the player guides a photorealistic 3D cat searching for its bowl of fresh Opti Life food.
- 3
Progress is gated by cat-related trivia questions posed at each obstacle; answering correctly advances Simba further along the route toward the bowl.
- 4
Partway through, the player is offered an optional side mini-game, a separate episode within the same story that can be played or skipped before returning to the main path.
- 5
Between questions, the story surfaces cat facts and Opti Life brand messaging woven into the narrative rather than presented as separate ads.
- 6
The session ends when Simba reaches the bowl and returns home, at which point the player sees a summary of their cat knowledge.
- 7
Finishing players receive a €5 cashback code toward Opti Life by email and an entry into a prize draw for an Opti Life product box and a District 70 cat scratcher worth €65, redeemed by buying the product and uploading a receipt photo.
