Purina Appeals to Dogs Using Ultrasonic Sounds
Tough Economy Calls for Tough Measures

 

(Animal Radio® Newsroom October 6, 2011) There is no denying that the pet-food industry not only extremely diverse and competitive, but with 40-billion-dollars a year at stake, it's just plain downright Dog Eat Dog.

Nestlé Purina PetCare, one of the largest in the business, is taking a chance you'll buy Beneful, with a specially designed commercial only your dog can hear.

The 23-second ad uses high-frequency tones, whistles and pings to attract Fido's attention. Humans cannot hear the noise because it is out of our range. But don't be surprised if your dog is suddenly very interested in TV. The spot is currently airing on Austrian television, and if successful, a campaign may be designed for America.

"We wanted to create a TV commercial that our four-legged friends can enjoy and listen to, but also allow the owner and dog to experience it together," said Nestlé Purina’s Anna Rabanus.

Animal behaviorists in the U.S. conducted research for the project, looking for sounds that would get a dog to sit in front of a TV. And nobody should be surprised, this has been going on for years with our children. Who do you think that Fruit Loops commercial is supposed to appeal to?

"The television commercial aims to reach both the pet and the owner, supporting the special one-to-one relationship between them," said Xavier Perez, Brand Manager of Beneful for Europe.

Will it work? Well, Dogs' hearing is twice as sharp as humans. They can pick up frequencies which are beyond our range and they are better at differentiating sounds according to Georg Sanders, a nutrition expert with Nestlé.

This isn't the first attempt to reach out to our pets. Recently, the streets of London were filled with dog-food scented billboards in an award winning advertising campaign.

You can see the TV commercial on YouTube and judge for yourself.

 

 

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