We had the opportunity to work with PetSmart between 2015 and 2020, producing promotional and brand level work for TV/broadcast, digital/OLV & social platforms. Having already established a footing in the retail ad space, we were now given the opportunity to do the same, just for pets, instead of people. It was a great account to be involved in - demanding, and often fraught with zigs and zags, but EQUALLY fraught with puppies and kitties. Over the years, we cut and delivered thousands of videos for PetSmart, competed in an “Adoption Day” charity golf event where I embarrassed myself athletically, licensed a Queen track as the anthem to our cuts, and, I like to think, got a lot of dogs/cats/fish/hamsters/horned lizards adopted (in a way).
Side note: Animal wranglers are a colorful bunch!
Pets Are a Journey
Elite spot. Love this one. The music with the story and the tone of the VO just hit on all fronts. Had a great time cutting this with my team, and the client loved it. PetSmart was especially interesting to work with because a lot of the time you have to tell the pet’s story more so than the human’s, and I think we really captured him nicely in this. You can feel the personality. Editor: Eric Bigman
Grooming
These are the kind of spots that make the job fun. When the direction is as open as this, the edit usually comes together in a breeze. We tested a bunch of different tracks and had some really great backups, but “Worth it” won out. We licensed that song and ran this spot on broadcast and OLV platforms for several months, also doing a “part 2” the following year using a Meghan Trainor jam.
National Adoption Week
Beyond this being a great cause to begin with, this spot has a great “turn around” in it. It opens up with people speaking about a heartwarming connection they’ve made or had, making it seem almost like a cliché dating commercial, only to find out that it’s the animals in their lives that the subjects are actually speaking about. A “feel good” spot with a touch of humor in it. I also like to think it contributed to at least SOME animals getting adopted out there!
Holiday - Brand
This spot was intended to make it seem like the dog grows up with the cat, and they become inseparable buds, whose posse gets even bigger at the end. A few viewers felt like it seemed the girl kept just getting pets and not paying attention to them, when the intention was to focus on the budding friendship between the animals themselves. Oh well - can’t please all the people all the time! The music licensing aspect of this project was also very, very challenging, but it taught me some important lessons.
PetSmart Presents…
Of all the work we did for PetSmart over the years, these were my favorite spots. The concepts were simple but had a lot of personality and wit to them. They also allowed us to get a little creative with music selection which always helps the spot along. The lack of VO allowed the moments to all play out nicely, vs. feeling rushed and “forced”. Honestly, I wish we had done more of these!