Christmas commercials are going to the dogs, cats, guinea pigs ...
Sources: (Clockwise from upper left) Holiday TV spots from Chewy; L.L.Bean; PetSmart; Petco

Christmas commercials are going to the dogs, cats, guinea pigs …

Retailers understand the love that Americans have for their pets and are taking steps to make sure that four-legged family members will find special gifts for themselves under the tree on Christmas day.

Fifty-six percent of Americans plan to buy their pets gifts for the holiday season, according to the American Pet Products Association, up from 51 percent last year and 47 percent in 2019.

Spots from Chewy, L.L.Bean, Petco and Petsmart all seek to connect with pet parents through their love for their fur babies. Which one is most effective? Submit your vote in the poll and help us decide.

(Editor’s note: If you would like to nominate entries for this year’s challenge — either domestic or international — please email the name of the retailer and a link to the spot to adchallenge@retailwire.com.)

BrainTrust

"It’s quite fun to watch some spots about something other than people. "

Doug Garnett

President, Protonik


"Chewy all the way! That dog has personality!"

Cathy Hotka

Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates


"PetCo, and not just because I live next to their Baseball Stadium! If my cats could talk they would say the same."

Patricia Vekich Waldron

Contributing Editor, RetailWire; Founder and CEO, Vision First


Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What is your critique of the Christmas spots from Chewy, L.L.Bean, Petco and Petsmart? Which spot does the best job of connecting with the retailer’s core customers while reaching out to new ones?

Poll

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Cathy Hotka
Trusted Member
2 years ago

Chewy all the way! That dog has personality!

Dave Bruno
Active Member
2 years ago

While they are all well done, I’m casting my vote for “best connecting with customers and prospects” to the L.L.Bean spot. Associating the family dog with the iconic L.L.Bean flannel is great brand building (and pretty high on the cute factor, too).

Dr. Stephen Needel
Active Member
2 years ago

George – you make it harder and harder to choose a winner. They are all great, and with two dogs who get spoiled at Chanukah AND Christmas, I can relate. I’m picking L.L. Bean as Ivan (my beagle/hound) appropriates my plaid throw blanket every time I fold it. Petco likewise. Both clearly point to “GET YOUR PET A PRESENT” while giving you a warm fuzzy feeling. Chewy was all warm and fuzzy but had a minimal message. Petsmart was the opposite – lots of message, low on the warm fuzzies.

Neil Saunders
Famed Member
2 years ago

I liked Petco’s the least; it wasn’t particularly funny and I did not find it very festive. L.L. Bean’s was OK but I disliked that the dog sat away from the family as it looked a bit isolated – I expected something a bit more powerful from such a great brand. That leaves me with PetSmart and Chewy. PetSmart has a great song (from Oliver!) and I loved the way it featured many types of pets. However Chewy wins for me: kids dashing around, a family preparing for Christmas, and pets central to all the excitement. Perfect — or perhaps purr-fect!

Richard Hernandez
Active Member
2 years ago

They are all great but I am picking the L.L.Bean advertisement. Pets are always part of Christmas but what better choice than to associate the famous plaid flannel with your pet?
Warm and fuzzy indeed.

Jeff Sward
Noble Member
2 years ago

Chewy! Gotta love the dog as master of the festivities herding everybody into the family portrait.

Doug Garnett
Active Member
2 years ago

It’s quite fun to watch some spots about something other than people. That said, the PetSmart commercial is going to have impact – it is fun and interesting while getting across far more value than the others.

Besides, I really don’t want to live in the Chewy menagerie home where no home with that many animals can look so sparklingly clean.

Gwen Morrison
Gwen Morrison
2 years ago

The Chewy spot delivers the bigger holiday anthem, with a higher level of merriment that entertains and ultimately encourages spending. They all deliver a message to connect with family and find holiday joy at home. This is certainly a “sort of post-pandemic, not quite over” approach. Interesting that L.L.Bean chose to go with pets.

Ryan Mathews
Trusted Member
2 years ago

I liked the L.L.Bean spot best because it was the least frenetic. So, if I was rating as a pet owner I’d pick it. If I was rating as a media critic I’d pick the Petco spot which I thought wad entertaining in a dry way.

Matthew Pavich
2 years ago

There are different ways to consider this. From a business perspective, Chewy’s was smart to include both cats and dogs in a house full of fun-loving pets. Ultimately though L.L.Bean wins my vote as it speaks to the very special relationship between a man and his dog which I can relate to as the proud parent of a very sweet and affectionate puppy.

Ultimately, the analytics will decide which ad was the most successful … but there can be no doubt that demand for pet products is on the rise and will be one of those trends from 2020/2021 that will remain for a long time (as many new pet parents will be buying products for years to come).

Patricia Vekich Waldron
Active Member
2 years ago

PetCo, and not just because I live next to their Baseball Stadium! If my cats could talk they would say the same. 🙂

Craig Sundstrom
Craig Sundstrom
Noble Member
2 years ago

Quick! Which of these wasn’t like the others? (Hint: one of them is from a clothing company.) The Bean spot did much better in the comments than in the polling … and what better way to show your dog you love him/her that lay out $XY.Z9 for a gift?