Nonprofit PetSmart Charities has partnered with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort and PetSmart to shine a light on an important cause: uniting adoptable pets with loving homes to help relieve overcrowded and struggling shelters. They have teamed up to create a new video, released on YouTube and social media today (5/5), featuring comedian Dana Carvey who reprises his memorable impersonation of King Charles III and encourages viewers to adopt a dog through PetSmart Charities.
Ahead of the coronation, Carvey’s King Charles makes the connection between his name and that of the beloved family dog breed, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and asks that viewers refrain from buying a King Charles spaniel on coronation day and instead adopt a shelter dog.
The new social media campaign was inspired by the reported flurry of demand for dog breeds from popular movies and television shows, such as the reported uptick in purchases of dalmatians tied to a popular 1990s movie and TV series about the iconic black-and-white pups. When people buy dogs based only on pop culture moments, animal welfare organizations say these dogs are surrendered to shelters when people discover the breed isn’t the right fit for their family or their lifestyle.
For PetSmart Charities, this is a moment to call attention to the need for shelter pets to find loving homes. More than 5 million pets enter shelters each year, and today they’re staying longer. This has led to severe overcrowding and a strain on resources for shelters, rescues and animal welfare organizations. PetSmart Charities encourages families to consider adoption and talk with shelters and animal welfare organizations that can help them find the perfect match. This simple decision can save the life of a shelter pet.
“With millions of adoptable pets in need of homes, we knew we needed to think big to draw attention to this pressing issue,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. “There are few moments bigger than the coronation of a new king, and there is an urgent need for people with big love and a little extra space in their homes to adopt a new best friend. We’re excited for the opportunity to get more pets adopted into loving homes so families can experience the mutual benefits of caring for a pet.”
Maximum Effort created the video through PetSmart’s participation in MNTN’s Creative-as-a-Subscription (CaaS) service, a program that allows brands to bundle their creative and media spend.
“Dogs make our lives better in innumerable and unforgettable ways, so we wanted to take this moment to hopefully make a few of their lives better,” said Maximum Effort co-founder George Dewey. “From the royal King Charles and Corgis to the more common ‘not quite sure what they are,’ we wish all the doggos the best.”
This video featuring Carvey was directed by Tom Morris via production company SixTwentySix.
CreditsClient PetSmart Charities Agency Maximum Effort Production Company SixTwentySix Tom Morris, director; Brooks Ludwick, DP; Sage Griffin, production designer; Jolene Nava, wardrobe.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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