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Since being introduced to the world via social media more than a year ago, Penguino, a 3-year-old cat that loves the camera has garnered nearly 13,000 followers on Instagram, where photos and videos of him have swept through the Internet.
Adopted by Scarsdale natives Alex and Kassy Ruimy, Penguino - whose birthday happens to land on Purim - has been described as a combination of playful or laid back, depending on his mood and how hungry he is.
“People tend to see his value right away. Shortly after meeting him and discovering that he is as cute as promised, they realize that he is also insane and exhaustingly vocal,” Alex - who is a software engineer at Daily Voice - mused. “My sister and I consult each other (about what to post), and are typically on the same page. It’s not hard to be, because the camera loves him.”
The Ruimys noted that the key to helping grow Penguino’s following was about consistently producing quality content while experimenting with both video and audio. They have developed guidelines for the account and gauge how users respond to certain things as the page develops.
The subject matter doesn’t hurt.
“‘Post quality’ as a metric is really an amalgam of how good the photo is, how relatable the caption is, strategic use of hashtags and deliberate timing of posts,” they said. “It doesn’t hurt that Pengs is beyond cute, literally insane and provides us with nonstop content.”
As his popularity grows, Penguino is eyeing even bigger and better things. The brother-sister combo recently started offline promotion for him with the hope of “growing his celebrity a little more.” There are now official Penguino business cards, stickers, songs, tattoos and popular hand painted portraits of the furry feline that have made the rounds in the area.
“We realized pretty quickly that he was something special and photographed like a male model,” Alex added. “An Instagram account seemed like the natural way to share his extreme cuteness. His followers grew pretty organically.
“We’re going to see where this ride takes us. If nothing else, it’s been a great lesson in social media dynamics and feline photography. (Penguino) may have bigger plans, but he’s been mum on the topic.”
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