Petbarn is showing how the world looks through the eyes of its most import “customers” – pets, in a very different animated campaign by Howatson+Company. The campaign’s series of stories presents pets’ point of view on topics such as nutrition and bad breath via a dog that eats its way into trouble to an overly domesticated house cat to a guinea pig that struggles with pronunciation.

The animations breathe new life into Petbarn’s brand icons, giving them unique and adult personalities. They were directed by Sweetshop’s Max Barden and voiced by some of Australia’s best comedians, including Sam Simmons and Michelle Brasier.

“There are three fundamental truths that make Petbarn unique – pet parents love what we do for them and their pets, our staff are absolutely passionate about pets, and we know that pets simply love Petbarn. Petbarn is a mecca for pets, they sniff out our stores on their walks, and no amount of lead-tugging will get them to move once they’re there. Our new Pets Love Petbarn platform is more than an advertising campaign, it is the organising idea that brings our entire business together” explains Nick Adams, Chief Customer Officer, Petbarn.

Gavin Chimes, Executive Creative Director at Howatson+Company, added “It’s so rare for a brand to have an identity that’s as iconic and ownable as Petbarn. It was only right that we leant into it. By giving their lovable characters grown-up, modern personalities, we’ve created a platform that can entertain and inform for years to come. One that can’t be mistaken for anything other than Petbarn.” 

The new brand platform, Pets Love Petbarn, has launched with a campaign running across all major screens. It is also being rolled out across every part of the business and will be embedded across all customer, retail and advertising channels. It even forms the basis of team recruitment.

Credits:

Client: Petbarn
Chief Customer Officer: Nick Adams
General Manager, Retail Marketing: Sumeena Parimu
Marketing Manager: Faye Andrews
Creative Director: Jack Farrell

Agency: Howatson+Company
Founder & Chief Executive Officer: Chris Howatson
Chief Creative Officer: Levi Slavin
Executive Creative Director: Gavin Chimes 
Creative Directors: Daniel Bolton, Jared Wicker, Elaine Li, Sophie Beard
Design Director: Ellena Mills
Junior Designer: Jason Nguyen
Group Account Director: Belle Simmonds 
Head of Production: Holly Alexander

The Cast:
Geri the dog: Michelle Brasier
Samuel the cat: Sam Simmons
Charlotte the bird: Sarah Albury
Barry the small dog: Pat Powell 

Production Company: The Sweetshop
Director: Max Barden
Executive Producer: Greg Fyson

Post Production & Animation: Heckler
Animation Director: Chris Yee
Animators: Jo Fong 7 Remi Evans
Executive Producer: Carlos Zalapa

Sound Houses: Rumble Studios
Sound Engineer: Tone Aston
Executive Producer: Michael Gie