The Brief

Hide My Ass! Is a leading virtual private network (VPN). Its founder set it up partly to help citizens in countries with internet censorship bypass those restrictions. We were briefed to deliver a creative campaign that would raise awareness of the VPN’s ability to overcome internet censorship and establish the brand’s purpose of helping netizens everywhere access the free and unhindered internet.

The Big Idea

The starting point for our idea was funny internet cat videos. Or, more specifically, the lack of funny cat videos in countries with internet censorship. The kinds of states where governments block the social media platforms funny cat videos appear on. Denying their citizens the innocent laughs of internet cats. And denying those cats a bigger audience. This gave us the perfect platform upon which to deliver a disruptive creative campaign for Hide My Ass!

We launched #ThePussycatRiot. A satirical campaign where the cats of the free world united to fight internet censorship. Launched by a collective of influencer cats. And at the heart of the idea were some very funny and provocative ‘protest products’ for cats, that let all felines show what they thought of internet-squashing dictators. They included lifelike cat scratching posts in the guises of Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin. As well as a range of cat litter trays bearing the faces of dictators.

The campaign was a viral hit and put Hide My Ass! on the map everywhere.