• by Tanya Gazdik , May 20, 2010

Arm & Hammer is partnering with North Shore Animal League America (NSALA) to educate cat owners about the importance of pet identification tags.

To support the collaboration, Arm & Hammer has launched an integrated marketing campaign with the tagline: "Tag a Cat, Save a Life." Ads will appear on packages of Arm & Hammer cat litter products, online and in handouts delivered to new cat owners at the point of pet adoption.

A print campaign will appear in consumer magazines throughout the summer, including Martha Stewart Living, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle. The campaign also includes online ads on sites including Pet Place, DogTime and Cat Channel.

Model and author Beth Ostrosky Stern (wife of Howard Stern) is a volunteer with NSALA and is a spokesperson for the effort, but will not appear in any A&H marketing materials. She will conduct a radio media tour, says an Arm & Hammer spokesperson.

Cat owners can obtain a free personalized ID tag via mail with the purchase of any two Arm & Hammer cat litters. The promotion ends Dec. 31 and requests must be postmarked by Jan. 15. The campaign will direct consumers to www.pettagoffer.com. The effort was created by Ferrara & Company for Arm & Hammer parent company Church & Dwight. Both are based in Princeton, N.J.

NSALA was chosen as the partners because it is the world's largest no-kill pet rescue and animal adoption organization. "Cat tagging is an initiative that NSALA is passionate about, and Arm & Hammer believes that through joint forces, we can help lost cats find their way home," an Arm & Hammer spokesperson tells Marketing Daily. "The 'Tag a Cat, Save a Life' is the first campaign Arm & Hammer and NSALA are working on, and we are looking into expanding this relationship."

The campaign is intended to educate cat owners about the importance of tagging their cats, as millions of lost, unidentified cats end up in shelters each year. Providing a visible identification tag with the cat's name and owner's phone number increases their chance of being found and returned safely. NSALA estimates that about 70% of all animals euthanized each year are cats that enter shelters without identifying tags. Many of these shelters only hold cats for approximately five days, leaving limited time for owners to locate their lost pets.