Pet Valu’s latest campaign is all about the love rescue dogs show to their owners, through the lens of the special bonds adoption has created for LGBTQ+ people.
The campaign – the first to be developed by creative agency Arrivals + Departures since winning an assignment with the pet supply retailer earlier this year – is built around the key insight that stories of the unconditional love shown by dogs to their owners is something that would resonate with all people, explains Jeff MacEachern, CCO at the agency.
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The campaign is a forerunner to work Arrivals + Departures is doing to create a new brand campaign and positioning for Pet Valu, McEachern says.
“Those things often take a bit of time, but this opportunity came before that work is done,” he explains. Pet Valu wanted to showcase a recent partnership with the Don’t You Want Me project, a social impact photography initiative that showcases the positive impact rescue dogs have on the lives of the LGBTQ+ people who adopt them.
Pet Valu made it clear to Arrivals + Departures that this was a cause it wanted to champion “because it was in line with their values as a company and something that was important to them.”
Though the campaign focuses specifically on the experiences of different members of the LGBTQ+ community and how their rescue dogs changed their lives for the better, MacEachern says it speaks to a much broader audience.
“The insight that pets have no judgment whatsoever and just unconditional love is such a universal truth that I think any pet owner can rally behind the message,” he says.
The multi-channel campaign consists of short- and long-form videos that will run on YouTube, connected TV and across social media, as well as buys with OutTV. It is supported by a digital influencer program developed with the help of Beacon Strategic Communications that will run on Instagram.
