Whiskas loCATor and the Value-Generating Brand Model
Advertising was long defined as the art of attracting attention. Brands competed to become visible, producing communication that was bigger, brighter, and louder. But in recent years, that approach has given way to a deeper question: Can a brand be satisfied with only being visible, or does it need to solve a real problem?
The loCATor system launched by Whiskas in Kazakhstan is one of the strongest answers to that question. Because this project is not just a campaign; it is a functioning system.
From Insight to System: The Problem of Lost Cats
The project begins from a simple but powerful reality: pet cats get lost frequently, and many of these disappearances cannot be solved quickly.
Traditional solutions include:
- social media posts
- printed lost notices
- neighborhood announcements
These methods are usually fragmented, slow, and limited in impact. This is where Whiskas makes a critical difference: it addresses the problem not through communication alone, but through system design.
How Does loCATor Work?
loCATor is designed as a hybrid platform that combines artificial intelligence, outdoor advertising, and the power of the community.
The system basically works like this:
- The user uploads a photo of their missing cat into the system
- Artificial intelligence analyzes the image and extracts distinctive features
- The city’s digital billboard network is activated
- The missing cat’s image and information are displayed on screens
- Citizens report cats they see through mobile devices
- AI attempts to match and identify the correct cat
Thanks to this structure, the search process becomes:
- faster
- broader
- more organized
In other words, loCATor transforms lost pet notices into a centralized data network.
The Billboard Is No Longer Media, but Infrastructure
One of the most striking aspects of this project is that it redefines outdoor advertising.
A classic billboard:
- delivers a one-way message
- is a passive surface
- tries to attract attention
With loCATor, the billboard becomes:
- a carrier of data
- updated in real time
- interactive with the community
an active platform.
This is an important shift in the advertising world. Media no longer only delivers messages; it becomes part of the system itself.
Community Participation: The Real Power of the System
The success of loCATor depends not only on technology, but on human behavior. No matter how well the system works, what truly activates it is the community.
In this project, people become:
- observers
- data contributors
- participants in the process
This turns the campaign from brand communication into a collective movement. People are no longer only viewers; they become part of the solution.
Not Storytelling, but Story-Living
One of the smartest moves Whiskas makes is abandoning the classical advertising narrative entirely.
The brand could have:
- shot an emotional film
- drawn attention to lost animals
- run an awareness campaign
But instead:
it developed a tool that directly solves the problem.
This approach clearly shows where advertising has arrived. The strongest stories today are no longer the ones that are told, but the ones that are lived.
Why It Won Awards
The reason this project won awards on prestigious platforms like Golden Drum is not only the creative idea.
This project:
- touches a real problem
- uses technology meaningfully
- creates measurable results
- builds a strong link between brand and purpose
So it goes beyond the classical definition of a “good idea.”
The Voldi Creative Perspective
At Voldi Creative, we see loCATor not as a campaign, but as a way of thinking.
This project tells us:
Brands no longer need to produce messages.
They need to produce systems.
Because today:
- everyone can talk
- everyone can create content
But very few brands can truly create solutions.
That is exactly where the power of loCATor lies.
It does not create visibility; it creates value.
Whiskas loCATor is a very clear signal about the future of advertising. When outdoor advertising, artificial intelligence, and community power come together, what emerges is not only a campaign, but a working system.
This project reminds us of something important:
Advertising is no longer about attracting attention.
Advertising is about solving a problem.
And in the future, the winning brands will not be the most talked about, but the ones that provide the most benefit.
Nur Oğuz