retail

JCPenney Says Gumdrop McWiggles Needs A Hand

If every dog has its day, JCPenney wants to make sure older pups are camera-ready. With a new partnership between its JCPenney Portraits by Lifetouch and animal shelters in 10 cities, it’s hoping to turn dozens of portraits of these pooches -- by turns playful and pleading -- into poster children for senior pet adoptions.

The promotion, pegged to “Change a Pet’s Life” day, includes a photo gallery. Visitors can click on the links for their local shelters, and size up available dogs.

JCPenney is donating $1,000 to each participating shelter and giving a $500 JCPenney gift card for supplies, such as towels, blankets and cleaning equipment.

It’s also running a related special on pet portraits at its studios. That includes a free 8x10 print, free standard shipping and $70 off a digital album.

advertisement

advertisement

Bill Cunningham, vice president of marketing strategy at JCPenney, says the idea for the campaign came from user-generated content: a family sharing the outcome of their JCPenney photoshoot with Rosie, a mini golden retriever.

“It was one of our most popular social posts in 2022,” he tells Marketing Daily via email. “It’s clear our customers resonated with (and were surprised by) our pet-friendly portrait options. And what better way to showcase what we can do than by doing some good at the same time?

"We hope to see these senior stars adopted quickly and can’t wait to see the #JCPPetPortraits that will be shared as our customers take advantage of the free photo offer.”

The ASPCA reports that about 2 million dogs are adopted from shelters each year. But senior dogs are harder to place.

With 11 participating shelters, it connects with consumers in cities including Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Louisville and Philadelphia

Next story loading loading..