Reposition America’s oldest pet supplier as relevant and trusted, preparing them for an IPO for their new private equity owners.

Background - Biggest producer of pet products in USA. Seen as old fashioned and with some serious PR issues (i.e. killing pets). Losing market share rapidly.

Business problem - Get consumers to see Hartz as a modern company with new innovative products.

Creative strategy - Turn DRTV into BRTV (brand response television). Drive sampling and improve brand perception.

Creative approach - Pet Makeovers. Borrow from popular culture, take an average cat and dog, and turn them into full pedigree champions with the help of Hartz’s new products.

Results - Tripled the expected response rate in one third of the media flight. Successful IPO, massively out-performing analysts expectations.