Image courtesy ICHC
In a novel advertising move, Walmart has partnered with hit lolcat site I Can Haz Cheezburger? (ICHC). Walmart and ICHC have an addictive online game called NOM NOM NOM 4 FUD! in which players direct a rotund marmalade tabby around a house. Players get points for making the cat “nom” Iams brand cat food, cheezburgers, and balls of yarn. The more Iams kitty eats, the faster it runs around the house. This, as anyone who has a cat knows (cough! Kevin Drum!), is totally bogus. After eating, my cats promptly retreat to the nearest soft surface and fall blissfully unconscious.
Real-life cat behavior aside, Walmart’s corporate sponsorship of ICHC looks like a canny move: the site has a 60% female demographic, and gets up to 50 million page views per month. Likely, many users are pet-owners. However, the partnership may not be as good for the lolcat site. Some commenters have asked ICHC to not associate themselves with a company that has a history of abusing employees (Walmart) or a corporation that tests on animals (Iams). I doubt there will be any concerted boycott of the site, but this may not be the last time you see Walmart blogvertising.