Maru now starring in a Japanese commercial

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Maru, a Japanese cat who has become famous on YouTube for jumping in and out of boxes, has put his talents to work as the star of a new campaign for Uniqlo, according to Mashable.com.

Maru appears in the new commercial doing what he does best – jumping in and out of boxes. The boxes (or cubes) in the Uniqlo ad are “lucky,” containing prizes that viewers can win. When Maru chooses his box and hops in, viewers can win prizes ranging from Uniqlo items to blimp rides.

Lucky Cube With Maru promotes the Japanese retailer’s opening of its first San Francisco location. The spot is part of a larger “People” campaign that uses local faces as “celebrity” brand ambassadors. Along with the aforementioned prizes, viewers can also win digital mp3 downloads from Goapele, a local San Francisco musician and an exclusive secret recipe from local chef Danny Bowien.

Maru’s guest appearance shows how popular user-generated content can transcend a YouTube video and act as a springboard to relevant advertising, Mashable.com reported.