Chewy’s New Campaign Puts Pets in their Proper Place—At the Very Top

Chewy, Inc., a trusted destination for pet parents and partners everywhere, is launching a new campaign that playfully demonstrates how pets are more than pets; they are family members, confidants, best friends, lifelong companions and so much more.

For pet lovers and Chewy customers, it comes as no surprise the bond between a pet and their parent is a breed of its own. In a survey conducted by Chewy, 84 percent of pet parents consider their pets family members and 93 percent are happier people just because of their pets’ existence. What may seem wacky for some – for example, including a pet in a will or forsaking sleep for their pets’ comfort – is of course encouraged, expected and applauded by Chewy.

“Our relationships with our pets are some of the most meaningful, genuine bonds we create throughout life’s highs and lows,” said Orlena Yeung, VP of Brand Marketing at Chewy. “Our customers view their pets as much more than pets and this campaign brings that to life in a playful, entertaining and absolutely relatable way.”

The campaign features three spots that showcase how pet parents see their pets as much more and correlate to astounding pet parent statistics revealed in Chewy’s survey, including:

• 3 in 10 parents admit their pet is their favorite child. “Favorite Child,” is set around a family dinner scene where human kids vie for their parents’ attention by one-upping each other with the highlights of their days, from scoring a goal to acing a test. But the focus quickly shifts onto Bailey, the golden (retriever) fur-child, where she one-ups the kids even more with the simple proclamation that she successfully finished a walk in the woods without a single flea or tick. And to the human children’s chagrin, the parents gush over the dog’s accomplishment as Bailey brownnoses even more along the way, because she can do no wrong.
• More than 4 out of 10 people describe their pet as their best friend. “ Best Friend ” features a simple conversation between two buds watching a game. Only one of them is a dog with an overzealous tail that knocked over a vase when a Chewy box arrived with a new bone. The two besties ponder a future world–as only buddies can, in between the plays of the game–where roles are reversed and the human has a tail while the dog gains the ability to purchase him treats on the Chewy app. Hey, it could happen. In a thousand or million, trillion years.
• Almost half (42 percent) of pet parents would include or have included pets in their wills. “Inheritance,” launching on April 24, takes place in a law office with a well-to-do family of three adult children and one prized cat, Mr. Marbles, listening to the details of their father’s will. After dividing multiple assets amongst the children, from “the company” to a vintage model train set, Mr. Marbles finds out that all his needs will be met when his recurring deliveries from Chewy are shipped, in perpetuity, thanks to Autoship. Plus, he gets the summer house. Because you get the best stuff when you’re dad’s little pet.

In addition to Linear TV, the campaign will appear on digital, out-of-home and social media, including a TikTok activation. Chewy invites pet parents to celebrate on National Pet Day by sharing how their furry, feathery and scaly companions are more than just pets – whether they’re a soulmate, their weekend warrior, daily therapy, little spoon or the sibling they never had. The TikTok hashtag takeover #ChewyMoreThanAPet kicks off on April 11.