You Are Your Pet's Armor by Sterling-Rice Group

 

Tell us about your role in the creation of this work.

Patrick: Well like all shameless Creative Directors, I get to take credit for the work of others. And I am so excited to take credit for this. The creative team, account team and a hell of a great client did an incredible job of pushing this work every step of the way.

Alexa: As for me, I was blessed with an incredible group effort that resulted in the sticky line “You are Your Pet’s Armor.” That in itself speaks volumes to this team’s collaboration. We fully buy into the belief that creating good work is a team sport and great ideas come from anywhere – regardless of title.

Give us an overview of the campaign, what is it about?

Patrick: The line “You Are Your Pet’s Armor” embodies everything this brand stands for and how we view the emotional role of pet care. Pet parents are the true protectors of their pets; we as a brand want to be their trusted and innovative sidekick. The industry is always shouting at consumers about what they can do for a pet owner, but it doesn’t acknowledge the one-of-a-kind dedication behind caring for and protecting pets like any other member of the family. This campaign wanted to break free of these scare tactics and chest beating to give credit where credit is due. We wanted to celebrate pet parents for the true armor they are day in and day out, then establish PetArmor flea and tick products as their trusted partner in that big and beautiful responsibility.

Tell us about the details creative brief, what did it ask?

Alexa: We needed to change the way people view pet care. Too often, pet parents think that caring for their pets is out of their hands—that they need to always go to the vet to keep their pets healthy and safe. “At-home pet care” is a very underdeveloped category and one that PetArmor can truly pioneer, starting with flea and tick needs. So, our internal battle cry became “Love Smart.” We knew we could be the brand that’s not solely focused on price and product but more about how people truly care for their pets.

Which insight led to the creation of this piece of work?

Alexa: Pet owners today have a more personal and unique relationship with their pets. And the team quickly realized that too many brands and experts out there were claiming to know what is best for your pet, when in reality, no one knows your pet better than you. Pet owners are everything to their pets­­­­­—parent, protector, provider, everything. And by celebrating this in an emotional way, we can move PetArmor from product to at-home partner. Once we married this insight to a line (you are your pet’s armor) that beautifully incorporated the brand’s name, we knew we had something that would resonate.

While diving into the brief, the team quickly realized that too many brands and experts were claiming to know what is best for your pet. When in reality no one knows your pet better than you. And by celebrating this in an emotional way, we can move PetArmor from a product to your at-home partner. Once we married this insight to a line that beautifully incorporated the brand’s name, we knew we had something that would resonate.

Can you share with us any alternative ideas (if any) for this campaign? Why was this idea chosen?  

Patrick: We explored two other routes: education and innovation. But in the end, we all knew that pet ownership leads with emotion and so should we.

How did the client initially react to this idea?

Patrick: We presented this idea during the pitch, and I think they reacted the same way that I did when I first saw the line and Alexa’s reading of Storm—“Well s#!t That’s it!” There was a lot of notetaking and head nodding when this campaign was revealed. And again, it definitely didn’t hurt working the product name into the brand line.

What was the greatest challenge that you and your team faced during development.
Alexa: Rain. Believe it or not, an actual thunderstorm worked against us. We shot the spot in LA during an actual thunderstorm. Which at first, was a blessing, but quickly became challenging for lightning threatened to shut down production and at times put us behind.

What did you enjoy most about seeing this campaign through? Did you learn anything new from the experience?

Patrick: It’s always so great to see a team’s—and brand’s--vision come to life. There are many opportunities to water down a great idea from concept to production, and the team and client held strong.

Where do you see this campaign going in the future?

Alexa: Pet parents will always be their pet’s armor. Always. And we are seeing it more and more in every day culture. Whether its buying homes or cars, people are factoring their pets more and more into everyday decisions. “You are your pet’s armor” factors into every facet of this pet-parent belief. And damn are we proud to be the ones that own that belief.