Oh the chewmanity: Coupons for exasperated pet parents

Who: Smucker Foods, with Leo Burnett for strategy and creative, Saty+Pratha for photography, Vapor Music and The Vanity for post-production, and Spark Foundry for media.

What: “Chewpons,” a social media promotion offering Milk-Bone coupons (or “chewpons”) in exchange for photos of items that have been chewed-up by dogs.

When & Where: It’s running from now until May 11, with promoted and organic content and posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Why: Aside from the obvious fact that “chewpons” is a good and effective pet-related pun, this is a cute way to turn a common source of exasperation for dog owners into a discounted treat for their pet.

“We wanted to create a program that showed Milk-Bone doesn’t just understand the many facets of life with your dog, but rewards the unconditional love pet parents have through it all,” said Adam Zitney, vice-president of marketing for Milk-Bone’s parent company, Smucker Foods Canada, in a release. “Chewpons are a great way to take the sting out of finding another chewed thing and turn it into something that your dog will love.”

How: The idea behind the promotion is simple: Share a photo of a chewed-up item to Instagram or Facebook in exchange for the $2.50 coupon toward a Milk-Bone purchase. Smucker is sharing some of the best photos on its social channels, and there’s also a video to introduce/explain the campaign.

And we quote: “Ask any dog parent and they’ll tell you about that time their dog chewed something that they’ll never forget. But they always forgive, because they love their dogs no matter what,” said Lisa Greenberg, co-chief creative officer at Leo Burnett, in the release. “Giving pet parents something in return is a way for Milk-Bone to also be something they’ll never forget. That thing that got chewed, now they can put it to good use and turn it into something their dog will love.”

David Brown