How important are pets? Thanks to Covid’s lockdowns, pet business is booming in many countries, the UK, US and Australia included. And in the UK and the US, pets are everything to people – according to campaigns by Pets at Home (UK) and PetSmart (US), both of which launched this week. The&Partnership and Sweetshop presented real stories about people who go the extra mile for their pets in their campaign for Pets at Home. Deutsch LA is showing vignettes of people who would do anything for their pets for PetSmart in the US.

PetSmart’s Anything for Pets hero commercial doesn’t have the authenticity of its UK rival, but it does have visual grandeur, the upbeat emotional power of musical theatre – and it is underscored by the emotive song, I’d Do Anything, from the musical, Oliver.

“We wanted to come up with something that said as much about pet parenthood and the mindset of pet parents as it did about the brand itself,” stated Deutsch LA executive creative director, Ryan Lehr. “When we landed on Anything for pets, we knew we found that sweet spot because it really does speak to how pet parents think about their pets. And it’s a great thing to say for PetSmart, which also goes to great lengths for people’s pets and offers a unique array of services and products for pets and pet parents. It sort of has multiple meanings – a very emotional meaning and then also a very practical meaning.”

Emotive advertising is very much PetSmart’s style. Its pandemic adoption campaign, was a tear-jerker and the company is continuing to work with its charity arm and shelters to look after pets rejected once life returns to normal for their owners.

The full Anything for Pets campaign includes various film assets which will be activated across digital and social channels. It will also include a special 15-second film in partnership with delivery platform, DoorDash, as well as a 30-second film in partnership with pet food brand, Hill’s Science Diet.

And across the ocean…