Lights, camera, bark!
Animals are an advertiser's best friend

What can cause your family members to drop what they are doing to focus on the television? In our home it is the words "Come look at the cute puppy on this commercial." Advertisement agencies have long known that one attention-grabbing route into a consumer's pocketbook is to play on the average person's love for animals. If you stop and think about your favorite television commercials, there is a good chance that advertisements featuring animals are among them.
Susanne Robertson, advertisement executive for KFDX Channel 3, recently telephoned me looking for some special talent. She was working on a new advertisement campaign for Harvest Drug and Gifts, a local pharmacy. The pharmacy's owner, Janet Beard, wanted to get the word out that one of the services her pharmacy offers is compounding medicinal mixtures for pets.
These are veterinarian-prescribed medicines that are mixed into a edible base. Because dogs and cats find the taste of these compounds irresistible, administrating medication to pets becomes easier.
Robertson was looking for a unique way to help make her commercial appealing to the target audience. She wanted to use a trained dog that would make anyone stop and do a double take. I knew just the dog for her - Mikey. Owned by Johnnie Marie Sauder, Mikey is an Irish wolfhound that is more than 6 feet tall when standing on his hind legs. This gentle giant is a well-behaved companion that I like to take to local schools to educate children about dog bite prevention. Believe me, Mikey fit the bill for Robertson's request for special talent.
Without going into the details of what Mikey had to do for the commercial, it took about 45 minutes for him to learn to place his front paws on top of a glass counter. Other than that, Mikey just followed basic obedience commands without missing a cue.
After filming the commercial, I began to wonder which animals are the most popular ones to use in advertisements. In other words, which animals have the greatest ability to sell products? Dogs are at the top of the list, with Spuds McKenzie of Budweiser fame and the Taco Bell Chihuahua being two of the all-time favorites. Cats are second, followed by pigs, then horses and chimpanzees rounding out the top five. The top 10 list of animals also includes lions, dolphins, cows, penguins and, finally, elephants.
This information is based on research conducted by Joshua, a United Kingdom-based advertising agency responsible for the current "flying pigs" campaign for Zurich Financial Services. This commercial has been given rave reviews and can be seen on television and on various Web sites. The Joshua agency spent a year conducting a focus group of more than 600 people to gauge how strongly animals are identified with certain products. The research found that dogs such as Labradors and golden retrievers are extremely popular and can be used to promote a variety of goods and services.
Channel 3's Robertson said that although some local ad campaigns have used animals, they usually have been the business owner's pet and not professionally trained. Now, with trained dogs like Mikey at her disposal, she will be able to offer her clients something different to advertise their businesses. Robertson is aware that people in this area love animals and that animals are part of the local culture. According to Robertson, "Animals help people remember the products that they have been associated with. Working with Mikey was not only a new experience but an enjoyable one as well."
So did Mikey's commercial bring any new clients to Harvest Drug and Gifts? Beard reports that because the ad campaign ran only for a short time, it is hard to gauge the impact it made on business. However, there are plans to rerun the ads in the future. The response she has received has been all positive.
And what impact did Mikey's newfound stardom have on the gentle giant? I thought perhaps that I might find him wearing sunglasses, handing out pawed-printed photos to his fans and ducking the paparazzi. Instead, his head has not been turned by all the attention. He still likes his longs walks, a cool breeze and hugs. But he is waiting for the phone call that could bring his next starring role.
FYI: The Top of Texas K9 Search and Rescue Association is having a fund drive to help pay expenses for upcoming training seminars. These training seminars include a three-day joint training exercise with East Texas K9 Search and Rescue of Lufkin, Texas, and another exercise with PANSAR, based in Amarillo. Both training exercises will be conducted during this month. If you are interested in making a donation, it can be dropped off at Petco or Colonial Park Veterinarian Clinic. Donations can also be sent to: 2 Newcomb Terrace, Wichita Falls, TX 76308. Remember this is your search and rescue team. A special thanks to Mathis West Huffines for donating a lap-top computer to the canine search and rescue team. The lap-top will be used in conjunction with a topographical mapping program.
Eamon P. Riley is a professional dog trainer and animal behavioral consultant. For suggestions or comments, he can be emailed at dogmanusmc@aol.com or by calling 689-9483.