• by Tanya Gazdik , April 14, 2014

Big Heart Pet Brands, makers of Milk-Bone dog snacks, is launching a campaign to introduce a new product.

Created by Arnold Worldwide, the integrated effort includes TV, digital, and social components.

The strategy behind the national initiative is based on a simple consumer insight: The more you care for your dog, the happier and healthier he'll be.

“This is a powerful and integrated marketing campaign that drives awareness of the new product and the need to take care of your dog’s teeth the same way you do your own, but also reinforces the emotional connection of the dog and dog parent,” Covahne Michaels, senior brand manager, Big Heart Pet Brands, tells Marketing Daily. “We are about the connection between the dog and the dog parent. Giving a Milk-Bone Brushing Chew is a way to say I love and care for you.”

Creative uses a simple environment to focus the viewer's attention on the relationship between Ted and his dog, Rudy.

Through a series of stories, Ted and Rudy demonstrate the various product benefits of Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, giving us a glimpse into their relationship at the same time. 

"They're very much a classic comedy duo, with Rudy being the straight man and Ted as the accidental comedian," said Tristan Kincaid, creative director at Arnold. "We put them on a bright red background to give them a simple but visually striking stage for them to tell their stories."

The campaign includes one TV spot along with a series of online videos that personalize Ted and Rudy and allow them to represent an actual dog/parent relationship and show their true, loving connection.

Milk-Bone Brushing Chews feature a patented shape that has been developed over the past three years, earning them the Veterinary Oral Health Council's (VOHC) seal of approval. 

The last new Milk-Bone dog snack product launched was Milk-Bone Trail Mix in June 2013. The main competitors for the brushing chews are Dentastix and Greenie and it is aimed at parents who want their dogs to live a longer, healthier life because their dogs are part of their family.