AI 'Cat Decoder' drives DINE sales surge on Amazon

Mars Australia and Amazon Ads ANZ reported sales and engagement gains from a six-week DINE campaign built around an AI-powered "Cat Decoder" digital experience.

The activity lifted units sold on Amazon by 73% compared with the same six-week period a year earlier. The companies also reported that 36% of sales came from new-to-brand shoppers.

Offline sales rose during the campaign period, with a 2.2% uplift across the broader DINE brand. Featured product lines recorded a 2.9% uplift, including items in the Classic Collection and Fillets ranges.

Full-funnel push

The campaign ran across Prime Video and the Amazon store in Australia, alongside other Amazon placements. Mars worked with Amazon Ads' Brand Innovation Lab on the creative and delivery approach, with EssenceMediacom also involved.

The "Cat Decoder" used an interactive tool that generated personalised content for pet owners. Users uploaded photos of their cats and selected how they typically interacted with them. The tool then produced an animated video portraying what the cat "might be thinking".

Custom-built for the campaign, the experience used AWS AI to generate more than 9,500 personalised videos and achieved a 99% completion rate, according to Amazon Ads.

Across Amazon placements, the campaign delivered more than 29.3 million impressions, including Prime Video, the Amazon.com.au homepage, online video and display formats.

TikTok creators

The activity extended to TikTok with a creator-led approach aimed at younger adult cat owners, using influencer content and creative tailored to the platform.

The campaign partnered with creators including Aimee Leigh (@its.aimeeleigh), Jessie Pearce (@jessieadamopearce), Maple Ginger Boy (@maplegingerboi) and Isabelle Petzl-Duncan (@isabellepetzl). Mars and Amazon Ads said the TikTok activity reached 5.5 million cat owners, delivered 33 million impressions and produced 5.1 million engagements.

The companies also reported an additional 1.9 million views from organic creator content. The campaign ran across Amazon Australia and TikTok from August to September 2025.

Positioning and measurement

Mars said the work aimed to strengthen DINE's positioning in the cat food market and broaden its reach among younger adult pet owners. The campaign combined video and interactive formats and aimed to connect engagement with shopping outcomes.

The reported results suggest a focus on acquisition as well as sales growth. New-to-brand shoppers accounted for more than a third of sales during the activity, based on the companies' figures.

Mars said the campaign targeted a gap between how cat owners think about treating their pets and what pets might "want", using the "Cat Decoder" idea as a creative hook. The interactive format also helped sustain attention through personalised outputs rather than standard video alone.

Media owners and advertisers are increasingly using interactive creative tied to retail media environments, where audience targeting and conversion tracking sit closer together. Amazon Ads has invested in these formats through Brand Innovation Lab, which builds custom experiences across Amazon's media and commerce properties.

Marni Crookes, Digital, Media and Content Director, Mars ANZ, said:

"At Mars, we're driven to create a better world for pets, and DINE has always been about delighting cats and their owners. This breakthrough Cat Decoder campaign allowed us to deliver on those promises.

"Partnering with Amazon Ads and EssenceMediacom enabled us to push beyond traditional advertising and create an engaging personalised experience that reinforced the premium positioning of DINE. It's a great example of how creativity and technology can work hand in hand to reach new audiences and deliver meaningful growth for brands," Crookes said.

Carl Colman, Managing Director, EssenceMediacom, said: "The DINE Cat Decoder campaign showcases the power of breakthrough thinking and integrated strategy in unlocking brand growth. Its effectiveness stemmed from building a media strategy around Amazon Ads' innovative 'Cat Decoder' concept, seamlessly leveraging Amazon's powerful browsing and shopping insights with a broad-reaching, creator-led TikTok strategy. This approach delivered scalability and enabled Mars to connect directly with younger cat owners across and beyond Amazon's canvas, successfully engaging new shoppers and driving significant acquisitions."

Chris Wilson, Head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, Australia and Middle East and North Africa, said: "The Cat Decoder campaign demonstrates how Brand Innovation Lab unlocks growth for brands by transforming bold ideas into custom experiences that delight customers and drive business results. Working alongside the teams at Mars and EssenceMediacom, we built an audience-first campaign that created a playful, personalised connection with cat lovers across Amazon's entire canvas-from Prime Video to the Amazon store.

"The campaign's strong engagement and measurable sales uplift show what's possible when creative ambition meets Amazon's full-funnel capabilities, delivering differentiation at every stage of the customer journey," Wilson said.