Dog Directed TV Advertising

With dozens of toy commercials under my belt, I've learned a lot about kid-directed TV advertising.  The idea of advertising products directly to kids, who then nag their parents to buy them, has been around almost as long as TV itself.

Now I've seen something completely different.  Nestlé's Purina brand has aired a commercial for its Beneful dog food that's they believe is the first TV commercial designed especially for dogs.

The commercial aired this year in Germany and Austria.  According to Nestlé, the commercial uses a different sounds to capture the attention of dogs.

The first is a 'squeak' which is similar to the sound dog's toys make.  Both dogs and people can hear this.  The next sound is a high frequency tone, similar to a dog whistle, which humans can barely hear.  And the third sound is a soft, high-pitched 'ping' which can be heard by dogs and people. 

From a marketing point of view, Nestlé is doing a great job reinforcing the position of the Purina Beneful brand as one which understands the unique relationship between owners and their dogs.