Smalls launches largest campaign yet with 'Is Cat'

Smalls on September 1 launched its biggest brand campaign to date, turning “cat” into a cultural identity across New York City, national TV, creators, and an invite-only art exhibition. The effort aims to broaden the cat-food brand’s reach as cat ownership and cat culture keep growing in the U.S.

Why it matters: - Smalls is trying to move beyond pet food marketing and position the brand as a cultural signal for cat people. - The campaign arrives as cats have gained more household and cultural relevance, which gives Smalls a wider audience to reach. - Smalls is also using the launch to support broader growth, retail expansion, and portfolio expansion.

What happened: - Smalls launched “Is Cat” on September 1, 2026. - The campaign is Smalls’ largest brand campaign to date. - The concept frames “cat” as a way of being: independent, selective, quietly confident, and unapologetically yourself. - The campaign runs through September 27, with select out-of-home placements continuing into October. - Smalls is also running a 12-plus-week linear and connected TV campaign nationwide. - The TV spots are 30 seconds and 15 seconds long and direct viewers to Smalls.com.

The details: - The creative centers on the flexible phrase “___ is cat,” which Smalls uses to identify feline energy in behaviors, objects, and cultural moments. - Examples include “Solitude is cat,” “Read receipts is cat,” “A dirty martini is cat,” and “Irish exiting is cat.” - Smalls says every expression leads to the same conclusion: Smalls is cat. - The New York City centerpiece is a concentrated OOH takeover in Soho, Noho, and Williamsburg. - The NYC work includes hero hand-painted murals by Colossal Media. - Seen Media is handling billboards and street-level wheatpaste installations in high-traffic areas. - Crosswalk will place branded billboard trucks across the tri-state area. - Smalls will also stage a one-night, invite-only exhibition in New York hosted by artist and cat parent Chloe Wise. - The exhibition will present the campaign creative as art pieces and interactive elements. - Cat-parent creators will amplify the campaign on social channels with their own interpretations of the OOH and “Is Cat” concept. - Smalls led the creative in-house with production company Chico Studio and photographer Paul Yem. - Smalls was founded in 2017 and focuses on fresh, human-grade nutrition and design-led cat accessories. - The brand says its complete and balanced meals use whole, high-protein ingredients and avoid fillers and mystery meat. - Smalls was started by co-founders Matt Michaelson and Veronica del Rosario and grew from a tiny NYC kitchen.

Between the lines: - The campaign borrows the language of identity and lifestyle branding, not traditional pet-category advertising. - Smalls is betting that “if you know, you know” cultural shorthand will resonate with self-identified cat people and aspirational audiences alike. - The use of murals, trucks, social creators, TV, and an art exhibition suggests Smalls wants the campaign to feel like a cultural moment, not a product push. - The company is also signaling confidence that cat ownership and cat culture have enough momentum to support a broader brand platform. - Cats grew from about 27 million U.S. households in 1996 to 49 million in 2025, according to the company.

What's next: - Smalls will keep select out-of-home placements running into October. - The national TV campaign will continue for more than 12 weeks. - The New York exhibition and creator content will extend the campaign’s reach beyond paid media. - Smalls is positioning “Is Cat” as a long-term cultural language for the brand, not a one-off launch.

The bottom line: - Smalls is using its biggest campaign yet to argue that being a cat person is a point of view, and that the brand owns that worldview.