Milking the Moment. a: Milk-Bone tour bus replica b: Anniversary keytag c: Special 100th anniversary Milk-Bone box

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1 (BY JEAN ERICKSON) Milking the Moment Milk-Bone created the world s largest doghouse and hired a spokesdog as part of a star-studded 100th anniversary promotion. Our expert has a six-step plan to give the campaign even more bite. a b c a: Milk-Bone tour bus replica b: Anniversary keytag c: Special 100th anniversary Milk-Bone box After 100 years in the dog biscuit business make that 700 in dog years Milk- Bone, the top dog in pet food snacks, was starting to feel the effects of the shrinking economy, experiencing flat sales and erosion in the power of the brand across all categories. Del Monte Foods, which acquired the company in 2006, decided to take the occasion of Milk-Bone s golden anniversary to mark the historic milestone, thank its loyal customers and essentially administer a booster shot to the equity of Milk-Bone, says Tai Doong, director of marketing, pet snacks, for Del Monte Foods. In a move to help revive awareness of Milk-Bone products and to reinforce the brand s trusted reputation, the company designed a promotional campaign around the concept of celebrating the Milk-Bone Moment: those special awww moments that illustrate the loving bond between a pet and its owner. Together with Coyne Public Relations, Milk-Bone launched the Make a Milk-Bone Moment contest to discover its first-ever spokesdog; dogs and their owners were invited to a series of high-profile events designed to find that one special dog to be the furry face of the brand. The contest was unleashed on movie-goers via a commercial on Screenvision, a leader in cinema advertising. Details of the spokesdog contest appeared on the Milk-Bone box, as well as on the company s redesigned Web site ( One hundred Milk-Bone encouraged people to Bark the Vote and help select the new Milk-Bone spokesdog, calling it the canine community s most important election in 100 years. 22 SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS January/February 2010 Contact your distributor (see address block on cover) to order your promotional products today!

2 Celebrities like Ivanka Trump appeared at the Milk-Bone anniversary party. finalists were chosen based on their picture or video entry submission, along with their essay, and the American public voted for the winner of the one-year, $100,000 contract and a digital camera; the 99 runners-up each received a digital camera. FUN WITH FLUFFY A star-studded anniversary celebration took place in the world s largest doghouse made entirely of Milk-Bone biscuits in New York City, where the first Milk-Bone was baked in The 480-squarefoot structure, covered in over 100,000 Milk-Bones, was set up on Military Island, in the very heart of Times Square. The red roof of the house got its color from the bacon-flavored variety of biscuit. Pet-loving celebrities Ivanka Trump and Dancing With the Stars Cristian de la Fuente made special appearances at the publicity event, with their fourlegged friends in tow. In addition, pet photographer Christopher Ameruoso was on hand at the party; he donated 10 of his favorite photos of celebrity pet owners and their beloved bow-wows, autographed by both stars and pets, for a celebrity paw-tograph auction. The photos, which included famous faces like Paris Hilton with her dog Tinkerbell and Amy Smart with her pet Oscar, were hung inside the doghouse for the event before being auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Canine Assistants. Dogs and their owners were invited to enter the doghouse to get their photos snapped for entry into the Make a Milk- Bone Moment contest. Canine s-wag included items like magnetic picture frames bearing the Milk-Bone logo, which were handed out to all who attended the event, as well as Milk-Bone doggie bandanas and Woof stickers. Over 10,000 frames and approximately 18,500 bandannas were distributed. A variety of pet-friendly events and activities were also part of the fun, such as paw readings from a pet psychic and doggy dancing demonstrations. Pets could belly on up to a Bark Bar where a bark-tender served up Milk- Bone biscuits and water. New Milk-Bone packaging had been specially designed for the anniversary year, featuring a new logo with a golden bone. Duff Goldman, the baker from The Food Network show Ace of Cakes, commemorated the New York event with massive, specially designed cake that was an exact replica of both the Milk- Bone box and a super-sized Milk- Bone biscuit. A 30-minute episode of Ace of Cakes was devoted to the Milk-Bone celebration and cake; the episode has reaired more than 15 times. People loved the episode because it featured both cakes and dogs, says Ace of Cakes co-executive producer Willie Goldman, adding that Milk-Bone was a lot of fun to work with. At over four feet tall, the Milk-Bone cake was one of the largest cakes the bakery has created. As part of the anniversary celebration, Milk-Bone also presented a $1 million donation to the Milk-Bone Canine Heroes The anniversary celebration took place in the world s largest doghouse made entirely of Milk-Bone biscuits in New York City. January/February 2010 SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS 23

3 Developing a strategic communications architecture can help provide structure and alignment to various communication and promotional elements, says marketing expert Victor Kimble. program, which provides canine assistants for disabled people and police dogs for law enforcement organizations. The company also donated over $1 million in Milk- Bone products to other canine assistance programs nationwide. The high-profile anniversary celebration in Times Square sparked a media frenzy, generating over 1,000 stories, including four AP photos, coverage on E!, The Insider and Entertainment Tonight, in addition to the many appearances on Ace of Cakes. Milk-Bone then took to the road, embarking on a 14-city mobile tour to further publicize the spokesdog contest and increase brand engagement with the target audience of animallovers. A large bus traveled to the designated locations, where Milk-Bone set up an outdoor mini-park at which pets and their owners could have pictures taken and entered into the contest. Free product samples were given out. More than 27,000 people stopped by the mobile tour between May and August of 2008, according to the company. POWERFUL PR A perfectly timed announcement by then President-elect Obama that the First Family was planning to get a puppy became the ultimate Milk-Bone Moment. Calling it great PR on Coyne s behalf, Del Monte s Bryson Thornton, senior manager, marketing communications and public relations, says the news of a White House dog gave Milk-Bone the opportunity to be relevant in the media, and added a whole new element to the anniversary campaign. Milk-Bone offered a free lifetime supply of biscuits to the new Obama puppy to welcome it to its big white doghouse on Capitol Hill. Milking the opportunity even further, the brand encouraged people to Bark the Vote and help select the new Milk-Bone spokesdog from the gallery of 100 finalists, calling it the canine community s most important election in 100 years. The finalists, who were featured on com, drew nearly 70,000 votes. Winston, a Great Dane from Wisconsin, was named the winner of the contest in February The grand prize announcement resulted in coverage in USA Today, AP, the nationally syndicated Bonnie Hunt Show and over 340 broadcast placements nationwide, according to Coyne PR. Milk-Bone is extremely happy and pleased with the anniversary initiative, Doong says, citing a fully integrated campaign and solid business results. Sales of Milk-Bone products rose 5% as a result of the campaign, according to Doong, and are currently performing ahead of expectations. In addition, more than 2,700 stories were generated and nearly 183 million media impressions made, according to Doong, who says the company happily had to keep revising its internal reports upward during the course of the campaign. Web traffic increased 600% thanks to the nearly 70,000 votes that were cast and approximately 350,000 gallery views on com. And 18,231 new subscribers were added to Milk-Bone s mailing list during the campaign. OUR EXPERT: VICTOR KIMBLE Milk-Bone did a wonderful job launching its Make a Milk-Bone Moment contest to celebrate the brand s 100th anniversary, says Victor Kimble, senior vice president, group account director at ad agency Deutsch New York. He adds that the promotion demonstrated the brand s understanding of the unique and loving relationship between pet owner and furry friend. When you give a dog a treat, you are giving them so much more than just clean teeth and fresh breath, says Kimble, calling this a moment of pleasure, a moment of joy that is clearly unique from all others. In return, he says, a pet gives its owner the unconditional love and attention that only a dog can provide. This visceral and highly personal moment is ripe Dogs sporting Milk-Bone branded bandanas joined in the New York City pet-friendly event. for celebration by an iconic and respected brand like Milk-Bone, says Kimble, an avid dog lover and owner of two Boston terriers. Here he offers the following six tips to create lasting connections with the brand and make the promotion even more fetching. 1. GOING TO THE DOGS. PICK A CANINE-FRIENDLY SPOT It makes sense that Milk-Bone would choose New York City 24 SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS January/February 2010 Contact your distributor (see address block on cover) to order your promotional products today!

4 to kick off its anniversary celebration, given the brand s origin in a bakery on the Lower East Side. However, while Times Square was a great location to capture the attention of the general public, Kimble points out that it was not the most dog-friendly location to connect with its target audience. Launching the event in a more dogcentric environment, such as Central Park or one of the city s larger dog-run areas where dogs and their owners congregate, might have allowed the brand more space to engage the target in a more relevant way, and encouraged broader audience participation in the event. However, a Del Monte spokesperson says the company chose Times Square because it wanted a central location that would attract commuters and residents alike. The 100th anniversary event was designed to celebrate with the public, whether they have dogs or not, the spokesperson says. We didn t want to build it in a location that would alienate those without dogs. In fact, while there were many dogs onsite, countless people attended the event and stopped by for a look at the doghouse without bringing a pet. 3. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE. CREATE AN INTEGRATED PLAN With so many tactics planned in the anniversary year, Kimble says it might have been difficult to remain focused on the strategic Screen and Digitally Printed Table Covers by: Marathon Prestige bull s eye the Make a Milk-Bone Moment spokesdog contest itself. It s all about communicating and delivering the right message, to the right people, at the right time, he says. Developing a strategic communications architecture can help provide structure and $98.00 $ SNIFF OUT BROADER PARTNERSHIPS. CREATE A LASTING CONNECTION Dog owners not only buy dog treats, they also purchase a wide variety of dog merchandise including training tools, leashes, pet toys, beds, apparel, medicine and grooming products, many of which have been improved for a dog s health, comfort and safety, Kimble says. He suggests that Milk-Bone could have shared some information on the latest designs and trends, or had noted dog experts offer some commentary on nutrition, bone and joint health and general tips on pet well-being at the New York event, or on the mobile tour. Building a broader stage for partnership alliances creates lasting connections with the brand, not just the bone, he says. The Del Monte spokesperson responds that the brand did work with a pet photography expert who offered tips on how to take the perfect pet photo. asi/68707 $ $ January/February 2010 SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS 25

5 Over 10,000 frames were distributed at the Milk-Bone celebration. alignment to various communication and promotional elements, confirming all pieces are driving to the same objective in this case, entering the sweepstakes and/or purchase, he says. In addition, determining how each piece will engage, educate and encourage dog owners to interact with the brand will not only reveal the effectiveness/roi of the individual tactics, but also align various brand constituents (advertising, promotions, PR, customer relationship management systems, sales partners, etc.) to the overall communication strategy. 4. GO FETCH A RETAILER. CREATE EVENTS NEAR PET SHOPS Attracting over 27,000 people, Kimble calls the 14-city mobile tour a great idea, as it allowed dog lovers around the country to participate in the event and to celebrate their own special relationship with their pets. In addition, he suggests leveraging another important relationship: the retailer. Kimble says that retailers love sampling mobiles and events, because they drive traffic into the stores and prominently showcase the product. He suggests setting up the dog park in a safe parking lot at a retail location, thus allowing the brand to create more merchandising possibilities in-store, resulting in a stronger drive to purchase. 5. HAIL TO THE TOP DOG. HEAD TO THE NATION S CAPITOL The tremendous press surrounding President Obama s family s decision to get a dog was highly relevant and engaging for the entire country. The American public not only wondered which breed the Obamas would choose, but also whether or not the dog would be from a rescue organization. After the public met Bo, the Obamas Portuguese water dog, Milk-Bone s Bark the Vote message created renewed interest in the spokesdog contest, Kimble says; he praises Milk-Bone for finding a highly relevant way to leverage national attention and media without having to alter its strategy or promotional calendar. He calls the public vote one of the best ways to engage and enroll participation in sweepstakes, explaining that giving Milk-Bone purchasers a voice is highly rewarding and can create lasting brand connections, especially in a difficult economy. Kimble suggests that Milk- Bone could have created more awareness and excitement for the contest by featuring Washington D.C. as part of its mobile bus tour. Establishing the dog park in close proximity to the White House or in a nearby park could have given Milk-Bone an opportunity to enroll the Obama family and Bo in the sweepstakes, provide the brand with a PR opportunity to present the certificate for the lifetime supply of Milk-Bones, as well as encourage broader participation on a local level. 6. GET MORE BANG FOR THE BARK. EMBRACE SOCIAL NETWORKING Milk-Bone s $1 million donation to the Canine Heroes program will go a long way with many current and future dog owners, says Kimble. Dog owners in general support finding homes for unwanted dogs and finding organizations that can use their services. Milk-Bone could further highlight its commitment to the Canine Heroes program by featuring stories of local Canine Assistants volunteer groups in the mobile tour, or initiating a greater dialogue with the more than 1,100 fans of the brand s It s Good to Give Facebook page. Such social networking tactics would allow Milk-Bone to grow its current fan base, tap into shared values with its target and create a lasting brand preference at the store shelf. Jean Erickson is a contributing writer for Successful Promotions. 26 SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS January/February 2010 Contact your distributor (see address block on cover) to order your promotional products today!