Tell us about your role in the creation of this work.
I am Derek Sherman, Executive Creative Director of this campaign by The Escape Pod.
Give us an overview of the campaign, what is it about?
Merrick Pet Care produces the highest quality food for dogs. We wanted to tell Pet Parents why they should spend so much more for food like this. As a challenger brand with a fraction of the budget of our competitors, we needed to connect with them on a values level. So, how do we feel, and how do Pet Parents feel, about dogs? Well, we both feel that contrary to what they teach you in science class, dogs are the dominant species on earth. Top of the hierarchy. That’s why we make them food like this, that’s why you’d buy it. The campaign’s role is to make the case. The proof is everywhere. From how people pamper and dress their dogs to user-generated examples of dogs being the center of their existence, it’s a global truth that dogs live like kings and queens while we work for them. So we’d better serve them the best food possible. You give the boss the best.
Tell us about the details creative brief, what did it ask?
The brief asked us to develop a campaign for Merrick that explains why they make their incredible food the way they do, in their own kitchen, using ingredients from their own farm. And create a platform that drives awareness for their many SKUs and sub-brands, gains shelf space, and introduces new product innovations.
Which insight led to the creation of this piece of work?
Throughout history, dogs have worked for us. They herded our animals, guarded our businesses, carried our possessions, transported us on sleds and up mountain trails. Does the visual of your dog doing these things make you laugh? Somewhere we lost control. The roles reversed, and we began working all day while our dogs lie in the patch of sun on the sofa. We bathe them. Shelter them. Buy them chew toys. If you arrived here from another planet to study who is in charge of Earth, you would point to the dachshund stretching on the big bed and say, that one.
Can you share with us any alternative ideas (if any) for this campaign? Why was this idea chosen?
We presented a campaign that was more emotional, but we all felt that interesting as the executions were, there were other brands playing in this space. And one which went into darker comedy, but it got too, um, gross. In the end the winning idea is the one that perfectly captured the real lengths we go to for our pets. Also if it’s compelling enough to make Pet Parents want to wear a t-shirt with our tagline, that a good gauge.
What was the greatest challenge that you and your team faced during development.
We didn’t want to say ‘dogs are in charge. We wanted to prove it with real world examples—especially since authenticity is a key tenet of the Merrick brand. So we searched for UGC from all over the world, that we found online. We would not use a clip that had been viewed too many times, we had to discover it from real people. The challenge was then reaching these people to obtain permission to use it. We had to find a Korean translator to talk with one person. It took us so long to find a guy in Kurdistan that we almost shipped without his clip in it, and we love that clip. (It’s the dog on the unicorn raft.)
What did you enjoy most about seeing this campaign through? Did you learn anything new from the experience?
Realizing that people who disagree about almost every aspect of human culture, people in Indiana, Manhattan, Asia, the Eastern Bloc, all give birthday parties for their dogs.
Where do you see this campaign going in the future?
It will go a lot of interesting places. Now that the basic concept is seeded, we can explore brand acts based on it. The fact that “dogs are in charge” is an incredibly rich campaign idea, with so many different behaviors and scenarios to lean into based on the relationship between pet parents and their dogs. We have some fun and some moving ones coming. Stay tuned!