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It’s hard to distract people from the annual spectacle that is the Super Bowl, but hard to believe as it may seem, some viewers—like many young girls, for example—aren’t that interested in football. That’s why counter-programming featuring adorable animals, such as Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl has been so successful.
Programmers have taken note, and launched cute-animal counter-programming of their own: Hallmark Channel launched Kitten Bowl in 2014, and last year NatGeoWILD entered the fray with Fish Bowl (back this year as Fish Bowl XXL). Advertisers quickly realized Puppy Bowl and the like could be a smarter, more targeted, and far less costly ad buy than a Super Bowl spot.
Now in its 12th year, Puppy Bowl attracts sponsors well beyond the obvious pet-centric brands. Dogs touch nearly all aspects of their owners’ lives, so almost anything can be fair game from vacuums and rug cleaners to insurance companies and automobiles.
“A very high percentage of Subaru owners are also pet owners, and mostly dog owners, so sponsoring Puppy Bowl was a natural fit for our brand, which is why we’ve been a sponsor for six years,” says Brian Cavallucci, National Advertising Manager, Subaru of America, Inc. “It has been highly successful for us, and we see a lot of positive reactions and positive social chatter around our involvement with Animal Planet and Puppy Bowl.”
In 2009, the company launched an ad campaign with the “Dog Tested. Dog Approved,” tag line. The concept stuck, and soon expanded. In early 2014, the very first commercials staring The Barkleys— an adorable family of Golden Retrievers who tool around in their own Subaru—hit the air.
“They were an instant hit,” Cavallucci says, and if you watch the above you will understand why. “The idea of a dog family doing people things in their Subaru just seems to make people laugh, and the reaction has been extremely positive.”
Three brand-new Barkley’s ads will debut during Puppy Bowl this Sunday: “Phone Nav,” “Windshield Wiper,” and “Doggie Bag.” (Two others premiered during the recent broadcast of the SAG Awards, and will also air during the game.) But the company’s involvement goes even deeper.
Last year, Puppy Bowl made a splash not only with its infamous water bowl cams, but also on Twitter and Instagram, where viewers were encouraged to share photos of their dogs on game day.
“We have been working with Animal Planet and Twitter to run a social campaign with the hashtags #PuppyBowlSubaru and #DogApproved,” Cavallucci says. This year they’ve added a special touch. “When people use the #DogApproved hashtag during the airing of Puppy Bowl, a special dog emoji will be added to their tweet.”
He hopes this year’s social media effort will exceed last year’s success.
Cavallucci also points out that Subaru’s commitment to pets and animal welfare involves more than the company’s ongoing sponsorship of Puppy Bowl.
“This is also a great opportunity to tell that story,” he says. “Our involvement with Animal Planet and Puppy Bowl goes far beyond funny ‘Dog Tested’ commercials. We’ve worked with Animal Planet to create two vignettes which you’ll see in addition to the commercials.”
One vignette focuses on an adoption event at a Subaru retailer, the other on an animal shelter and discusses how vital corporate support is to rescuing pets and finding them permanent homes.
The Subaru Loves Pets initiative, which includes the company and its retailers, has so far contributed over $14 million to the ASPCA.
“We’ve helped move thousands of pets from kill shelters to no-kill shelters though Rescue Ride programs, and have held countless adoptions events at our retailer locations. Subaru cares about pets and finding good homes for them, because we all know pets make our lives better.”
Even cats are feeling the love this year. For the first time, Subaru is also partnering with Crown Media and Hallmark Channel to sponsor Kitten Bowl III.
Says Cavallucci: “Keep your eyes open for a special ending to one of the ‘Dog Tested’ commercials that will be airing during the Kitten Bowl!”
[Image courtesy of Subaru]
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