Dog owners give their pooches a lot of leeway, seeing them as not just companions but a member of the family. Pet food brand Jinx knows how dog owners are wired, and a new campaign by L.A. agency Zambezi crafted a campaign to speak to the canine inclined.
Two spots show the extremes people go to share their lives with their dogs. In one spot, a woman is seen getting passionate kisses from her Golden Retriever, to the bemusement of a delivery person.
In another, a man is seen sleeping on the very edge of his bed, while his very contented French Bulldog snores away in spacious luxury. Each spot ends with the phrase “Dog people get it.”
The work is the first from Zambezi and its in-house production studio Fin. The agency was hired in July for an immediate project and turned it around quickly.
Dog people speaking to dog people
Jinx claims to be a company that is truly obsessed with dogs. Co-founder Terri Rockovich started the company to give her dog the most nutritious food that also tasted great. That love for dogs is a passion it shares with its customers and anyone looking for a healthy choice to care for their dogs.
“Our customers are pet parents as passionate about their dogs as we are. We also know that there are uniquely fun/quirky/adorable things between dogs and owners that are relatable—and that make them smile. Plenty of people have been smooshed to the side of the bed by a sprawling pooch or been smooched by a Golden Retriever. That’s real and a sign of true love,” Leigh Collins, creative director at Jinx told Adweek.
Collins said that the shoot was fun to work on, with all of the happy dogs and humans.
“Gunnar (the French Bulldog) was so excited to be on set, but we needed him to close his eyes all the way to pretend he was sleeping. It took a couple tries to get him to forget about all of the distractions, but ultimately, we got the perfect snoozing shot. Though, he had absolutely no problem taking up half the bed. He knew what he was supposed to do,” said Collins.
Collins added that Samson, the Golden, almost tackled the actress a couple of times, who had baby food reapplied to her lips to make them extra kissable between takes.
Jinx is an emerging brand, but it has seen momentum and positive product reception across the category. It started as a direct-to-consumer brand and is now in over 5,000 retail locations nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Petsmart, Safeway and Albertsons, among others.
Collins said that the campaign is about creating awareness around the brand and its core customers, and then accelerating that growth by attracting pet owners who love their dogs like they love theirs to invest in a better nutrition option.
“It’s a crowded category, and we believe that by telling stories like this, we set Jinx up to stand out and rally people around the food they choose for their dogs,” said Collins.
The work will air across linear and CTV for a six week flight. For linear TV, Jinx has secured over 5,500 units across 18 networks.