Do Dogs Make the Best Pets? Milk-Bone's New Ads Make a Compelling Case

“I’d rather be with my dog” isn’t just a T-shirt from a sponsored post on Instagram; it’s a way of life. And it’s that type of playfulness and dedication that Milk-Bone has brought to its latest ad campaign, which features broadcast commercials, online video and social content. The "Life’s More Fun With A Dog" campaign shines a spotlight on those who fall into the “dog person” category over “cat person” or, say, “tiger person," “bee person.” In the “Bring Your Pet To Work” commercial, a fun day at the office is reimagined when employees bring in some less-than-traditional pets. Bees have taken over the conference room, a monkey is working reception, and a giraffe has broken through the depressing florescent lighting. But in the end, dogs take over the office space and all is right with the world again. [kickout id="1"] The Milk-Bone brand has been around since 1908 and has, unlike most dogs, had several owners over the years. While Nabisco dispensed the treats for several decades, the J.M. Smucker company (which also owns Folgers, Jif and Uncrustables) acquired Milk-Bone in 2015. Since then, the branding has focused on reflecting back the family-like belonging that dogs hold in our culture. “Today, people take their dogs everywhere—stores, restaurants, their office, on vacation—and our culture is really embracing the idea of ‘dog-friendly’ being the norm now, not the exception,” said Dave Latta, consumer engagement lead at the J.M. Smucker Company. “The idea of celebrating ‘dog life’ felt synonymous with Milk-Bone. We wanted to re-energize the Milk-Bone campaign and make it more culturally relevant and ubiquitous with today’s dog lovers." In addition to “Bring Your Pet To Work,” the campaign also takes you into an alternate universe where you might go for a run in the park with your goldfish, play fetch with a turtle, and use your cranky cat as the ring bearer at your wedding. The campaign was developed by Publicis Groupe's PSOne, which admits that the spots lean into the ridiculous side a little bit. “Dog treats are meant to bring joy, but the communication across the category has become very functional and joyless,” said Jason Gorman, executive creative director at PSOne. “Milk-Bone is a pioneer and a leader within the category, and together we wanted to insert the fun back into treating by reminding people how great it is to have a dog in your life." While not every commercial lands the trick perfectly, they all deliver on the lighthearted but sincere approach that dog owners feel on a daily basis. In one of the stronger spots, a groom has chosen his cat to be the ring bearer but finds himself not at the altar with his bride but up in a tree with his disappointing pet. “You are embarrassing me; you are embarrassing yourself,” he yells at the cat. [kickout id="2"] The treat market is a $3 billion industry, and Milk-Bone has cornered the market through authentic branding that puts joy at the center of their work. They recognized that producing run-of-the-mill advertising doesn’t correspond to the heart-warming, silly world that dog owners find themselves in every day. [kickout id="3"] It also apparently doesn’t hurt to have a team of dog owners sitting at the conference room table. "Milk-Bone is an iconic treat brand, so for a bunch of dog lovers who also happen to be creatives, it really sparked a lot of energy at the agency,” said Andy Bird, CCO of Publicis New York. “Thankfully our great partners at J.M. Smucker shared our passion for the project and really helped us to create a fun new brand platform that has a strong pro-dog POV but never takes itself too seriously." CREDITS: Client: The J.M. Smucker Company Brand: Milk-Bone Campaign Title: Life’s More Fun With A Dog Agency: PSOne Agency Location: New York Chief Creative Officer: Andy Bird Executive Creative Director: Jason Gorman Creative Director, Art/Copy: Kristen Koop Creative Director, Art: Shaun Bruce Creative Director, Copy: Erik Izo EVP, Director of Integrated Production: Jenny Read Executive Producer: Lauren Schneidmuller Senior Producer: Jourdan Valdes Broadcast Business Manager: Sylvia Maxwell Group Account Director: Gina Leone VP Account Director: Lindsey Braem Account Supervisor: Rebecca Harris PRODUCTION COMPANY: Smuggler Director: Guy Shlemerdine Director of Photography: Jo Willems Executive Producers: Allison Kunzman Producer: Alex Waite EDITORIAL COMPANY: Cartel Editor: Kevin Zimmerman (Ring Bearer, Tortoise, Christmas Cat) Editor: Andy McGraw (BYPTW & Goldfish) Assistant Editors: James Bird, Anchor Mak, Zoe Kraft Executive Producer / Partner: Lauren Bleiweiss Executive Producer / Head of Sales: Alaina Zanotti Senior Producer: Greer Bratschie VFX: The Mill Creative Director / Shoot Supervisor: Phil Crowe Executive Producer: Anastasia von Rahl Senior Producer: Michael Theurer Production Coordinators: Jena Bodell, Utkarsha Shinde Team on Christmas Cat and Ring Bearer 2D Lead Artist: Julian Ford Comp Lead: Renjith Raveendran Paint Lead: Prajeesh Chaliyam 2D Artists: Ajith Raj, Basabendu Sarkar, Jeff Langlois, Katerina Arroy, Mahesh Ravila, Naga Praveen Kumar, Prabhakaran M, Rahul Roy, Stephen Paragone 3D: Artist: Robert Chapin Finish Artist: Narbeh Mardirossian Team on Goldfish and Bring Your Pet to Work 2D Lead Artist: Tim Robbins, Rob Winfield Comp Lead: Renjith Raveendran Paint Lead: Prajeesh Chaliyam 2D Artist: Balachandiran K, Cris Kong, Dushant Joshi, Elad Offer, Gangadharam Raja, Jake Albers, Karthick Anaduri, Prabhakaran M, Prasanna Bhatt, Roman Yavorsky, Shahid Raja, Mangesh Borkar, Stephen Paragone, Yatin Tamhane, Yogesh Sarwa 3D Artist: Robert Chapin COLOR: The Mill Colorist: Matt Osborne Color Producer: Blake Rice Color Assist: Logan Highlen, Gemma Parr, Brandon Phillis, Carver Moore AUDIO: Sonic Union Audio Mixer: David Papa (Ring Bearer, Christmas Cat) Audio Mixer: Rob McIver (BYPTW, Goldfish, Tortoise) Studio Director: Justine Cortale Audio Post Producer: Nathanael Taylor MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN: Barking Owl Creative Director: Kelly Bayett Producer: Ashley Benton Sound Designer: Morgan Johnson