Who: Pet Valu, with Arrivals + Departures for creative and strategy; Steam Films for production; Married to Giants, Wingman and Berkeley for post production; with True Media for paid media, Beacon Strategic Communications for PR and influencers; and Tempo Digital for paid social and digital.
What: “Magic is in the Moments,” a holiday campaign for pet owners who believe the season should be magical for all of their loved ones, including pets.
When & Where: The campaign is live now, with a :60 running on TV and cinema (with cutdowns and variations running on key social platforms), radio, Spotify and in-store signage.
Why: While there are number of socio-economic theories as to why, there’s little doubt that the pet category has been transformed in the last decade or so. “Pet parenting” has replaced “pet ownership,” and consumers have been treating their pets more like humans. For those people, Pet Valu wants to be the place they go for pet gifts and other holiday accessories like pet apparel, toys, and even pet advent calendars.
“At Pet Valu, we understand the unconditional relationship devoted pet lovers have with their pets,” said Idan Driman, vice-president of marketing at Pet Valu, in a release. “We’re committed to nurturing that relationship by creating memorable moments throughout the holidays and every day with our animal care expertise, compassionate service and high-quality products.”
How: The new work is an extension of the “Love Lives Here” campaign launched last year, but seen through a holiday lens. It adapts traditional messaging about the holidays being a time for special moments shared with loved ones, except in this case the loved ones include pets. “It focuses on the unique role pets, of all shapes and sizes, play in their families’ holidays—no matter how they celebrate,” said Driman.
The 60-second anchor spot presents a number of typical holiday scenes and scenarios, from shopping and decorating, to family meals and group photos, and of course shopping for gifts, (snooping for gifts) and finally opening them. In all those special moments, the pet is as involved as the humans, always adding an extra layer of joy and contentment.
“During the holidays, we’re so busy shopping, decorating, and entertaining when it’s really the unexpected, shared moments that make the holidays magical,” said Driman. “Many of these moments include our pets.”
And we quote: “Pets have become so central to our lives that not acknowledging the joy they bring to the holiday season and the memories they help create, whether they know if or not, is like going through the holidays without egg nog and family get togethers.” —Jeff MacEachern, CCO, Arrivals + Departures
