The American Pet Products Association’s Pets Add Life (PAL) campaign recently released the fourth video in its “talking animal” series by YouTube video director Andrew Grantham. The campaign’s goal is to demonstrate the “joys and benefits of responsible pet ownership and encourage increased animal adoption.”
“We were pleased with the feedback and the outpour of video submissions we received from our fans,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the APPA.“We thank all of those who submitted footage of their pets ‘talking’ and for their support in spreading our main message that pets of all types need pals too.”
The campaign received nearly 200 video entries.
The current series of videos, which has received more than one million views combined on YouTube, replaced the “Banter” series, which may have generated more controversy than views (about 100,000 combined YouTube viewings). To see any or all the videos, visit PAL on YouTube.
The Banter series featured actors dressed as pets talking, emphasizing that pets want someone to talk to when their owners aren’t around, thus promoting multiple pet ownership. The series sometimes low-brow (butt-sniffing jokes, etc.) humor offended some, but what really ruffled feathers were scenes of “cats” bragging about killing birds—which, of course, is what cats instinctually do given the chance. Most cat owners that have ever received a present of this sort can appreciate the humor in the video, but many strident advocates of indoor-only cats (for the benefit of both the cats and wild birds) were not amused.
Still, if any of these videos should be seen as controversial, it should really be based on the return on investment of a pet industry-sponsored program: Is the campaign reaching sufficient numbers with an effective message of the benefits of pet ownership?
Springer Into Action: Central Garden & Pet Co. nominated M. Beth Springer to serve on its board of directors. The election takes place at Central’s annual stockholder’s meeting, when board member John Ranelli takes over as president and CEO. Springer is a former executive at The Clorox Co., where she spent 21 years, most recently as executive vice president and general manager until April 2011. "Beth is a seasoned and accomplished consumer executive with extensive experience in setting long-term corporate strategy, general management, brand-building and marketing, making her a terrific addition to Central's Board," said Bill Brown, Central's chairman. "Beth's insight and expertise will be enormously valuable to Central as we continue to transition to an integrated branded consumer products company."
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