San Diego-based Petco Health and Wellness Co. has launched a new TV advertising campaign that celebrates the quirky behaviors of cats and dogs.
Themed “Petco Pet Mysteries,” the campaign includes three, humorous 30-second TV commercials that positions Petco as the best partner to deliver pet care solutions.
In one spot titled, “Why does your cat judge your snacking choices,” imagine a cat’s condemning look as you reach for a high-calorie snack. The voiceover says, “We don’t know how your cat knows when you’ll cheat on your diet.”
In another spot, an impatient cat awkwardly stares at a man taking a shower, as he tries to enjoy some private bathroom time.
In another spot, a dog sees himself in a mirror and starts to lick his own reflection as the voiceover says, “We don’t know why he likes to make-out with himself.”
All three TV spots end with the same, cheeky tagline: “Some things we don’t know, everything else we do.”
Muse by Clio, an advertising trade publication, described the Petco campaign as “brand-boosting oddness” and “quirky, understated humor spiked with varying degrees of edginess.”
Ad Age said the campaign highlighting “our furry friends’ strange behaviors will be relatable to any pet owners watching.”
The campaign, launched June 10, was created in partnership with creative agency Slap Global, which began working with Petco earlier this year on messaging designed to connect with pet parents and motivate them to choose Petco, a Petco spokesperson told Times of San Diego.
The spots, directed by Dan Opsal, are running on broadcast TV, online video ads and social media platforms. Total media expenditures were not disclosed.
The spokesperson said the campaign is designed to “acknowledge the undeniably, unique needs and quirks of the pets we all love and positions Petco as the best partner to deliver on them.By tapping into real-life, relatable pet-pet parent moments, spotlighting unusual animal behavior and infusing humor, Petco created a hook to highlight the health and wellness company’s distinct expertise and ecosystem of pet care solutions across products and services.”
Petco has an established history of creating unconventional TV ads. Last year, Petco hired hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, who pretended to be a human version of a Doberman Pinscher.
Founded in 1965, Petco operates more than 1,500 pet care centers in the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. The centers offer merchandise, companion animals, grooming, training and a network of on-site veterinary hospitals and mobile veterinary clinics.
Journalist Gary Warth Switches from Homeless to Business Beat
Journalist Gary Warth, who has been covering news in San Diego since 1984, is known for his coverage about homelessness. But, now he’s writing about business as the newest staff reporter at the San Diego Business Journal, a weekly business publication.
“As you can imagine, interviewing CEOs and writing about emerging technologies, advances in the medical field and finance is very different from covering homelessness,” Warth told Times of San Diego. “The subjects can be very challenging and out of my comfort zone, but it’s been great having new experiences.
“Covering homelessness and hard news often is about reporting on things that are in crisis. The business stories I’m covering now are much more positive and encouraging. There’s actually great advances being made in many fields, and it’s made me more optimistic.”
After graduating in 1984 from San Diego State University with a journalism degree, Warth worked as a reporter and editor for several community newspapers, including the Lemon Grove Review, Poway News Chieftain and Rancho Santa Fe Review.
In 1989, Warth joined the Oceanside Blade-Citizen, a daily newspaper which merged with the Escondido Times-Advocate in 1995 to become the North County Times. Warth became part of the U-T staff as part of the 2012 purchase of the NC Times by U-T owner Doug Manchester.
“I managed to survive all the mergers and layoffs during those years,” Warth said.
Warth, 64, joined the SDBJ in April after accepting a U-T’s buyout offer in July 2023. That same month, it was announced that Los Angeles billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong had sold the U-T to an affiliate of the MediaNews Group, owned by Alden Global Capital, which owns roughly 200 publications, including the Chicago Tribune.
“After we got the email about the sale, we soon got another (email) that said there would be staff reductions, and we had one week to accept a separation offer,” Warth said. “We knew that Media News Group was owned by Alden Global Capital, and they were known for significant newsroom cuts.
“The buyout offer was a week’s pay for every year you worked, and it went back to when I was hired at the Blade-Citizen. At this point in my career, I knew I wouldn’t ever get a better offer than that, and there was a fear that if none of us took a buyout, we would face layoffs with maybe just a couple of weeks’ severance. I had no plans to retire, but it seemed too risky to stay.”
At the SDBJ, Warth has written about a variety of topics ranging from flooring and dating apps to nuclear batteries and high finance.
“The Business Journal is an established, very respected publication that covers business in San Diego County better than anyone,” said Warth. “I’ve known several people who have worked there, and everyone has said it was a good experience.”
Founded in 1980, the SDBJ is owned by CBJ LP, which also operates the Los Angeles Business Journal, Orange County Business Journal and San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
ESPN LA 710 is New Radio Home for USC Trojans and LA Kings
Los Angeles radio station KSPN-AM, ESPN LA 710, operated by broadcasting company Good Karma Brands, has secured the game-day, broadcast rights for the University of Southern California Trojans Athletics and the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings.
The station will air Trojans football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball games and serve as the flagship radio station for the Trojans Radio Network beginning with the 2024-2025 collegiate athletic season. Games also will be available on the USC Trojans Game Day App and the ESPN LA 710 app. The 2024 football season will be USC’s first in the Big Ten Conference.
For the past five years, USC football was heard on Cumulus Media’s KABC-AM, Talk Radio 790. Previously, KSPN was home to Trojan Athletics from 2006 to 2009.
In addition, all Kings hockey games during the 2024-2025 season, including pre-season, regular season and post-season, will stream live on the ESPN LA 710 app. The NHL season said about 25 games will be heard over-the-air on KSPN.
The Los Angeles mega-sports radio station already carries play-by-play broadcasts of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles FC.
Based in Milwaukee, Good Karma Brands operates ESPN-affiliated radio stations in eight markets, including Cleveland, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, New York, Los Angeles, West Palm Beach and Beaver Dam, Wis.
Will Presidential Ads Attacking ‘Character’ Make a Difference?
Ahead of the Thursday, June 27, scheduled presidential debate, the Biden-Harris reelection campaign announced plans to spend $50 million on radio, TV, print and online spots in battleground states.
A 30-second TV commercial titled, “Character Matters,” reminds viewers of legal decisions against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, including a guilty verdict on falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and has vowed to appeal the decision.
The narrator says in the ad, “We see Donald Trump for who he is. He’s been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault and he committed financial fraud.”
The ad blitz comes as recent polling shows Trump leadings in six of seven battleground states in a head-to-head matchup against President Joe Biden, despite Trump’s felony convictions.
According to Emerson College/The Hill’s June poll, Trump leads Biden in Arizona by +4 (47%-43%), Georgia by +4 (45%-41%), Wisconsin by +3 (47%-44%) Nevada by +3 (46%-43%),Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania by +2 (47%-45%) and Michigan by +1 (46%-45%). Biden splits with Trump in Minnesota (45%-45%).
A statement from Emerson College said, “Voters were asked if Donald Trump’s criminal conviction of 34 felonies impacts their vote this November, or if it has no impact. A plurality in all states say it has no impact on their vote.
Meanwhile, a Senate GOP group, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, says it will commit $100 million for political advertising aimed at aiding its nominees in several states where incumbent Democratic senators are defending their seats.
According to Politico, the NRSC has placed media buys in four states, including Ohio, Nevada, Michigan and Arizona.
Two months ago, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it will spend $79 million in nine states with ads on TV and radio and digital ads.
Democrats currently hold a 51-to-49 advantage in the upper chamber. This year 33 seats, including 19 Democrats, 10 Republicans and 4 independents, are in play.
An analysis of Federal Election Commission filings by The Hill said Trump outraised Biden with $76 million to the incumbent’s $51 million in April. And, Trump widened the difference in May with a sum of $141 million to Biden’s $85 million.
The New York convictions supercharged donations for the former president. About $53 million, or about a third of Trump’s total intake for May, came through online donations in the 24 hours following the Manhattan’s jury guilty verdicts.
The Hill said both candidates will have many millions of dollars to spend on advertising throughout their campaigns, “and a lack of funds will likely not be an issue.”
Rick Griffinis a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
