Vitalin, one of the UK’s oldest pet food brands, has celebrated a seven-figure brand investment with the launch of its first TV campaign.
The 30 second TV ad, and accompanying online campaign: ‘That’s a Vitalin Dog’ will run across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, plus across online display and social channels from this Thursday (March 28th).
The ad was created by Studio Yes, the creative and production firm behind campaigns for Sacla, Belvoir Farm, Cuvva and Costa.
The commercial alludes to Vitalin’s heritage as a 71-year old British brand, while bringing it up to date for modern dog owners. The ‘That’s a Vitalin Dog’ catchphrase forms part of a brand platform which Vitalin will extend across all areas of marketing.
The ad was shot entirely in the UK (complete with British winter weather) and aims to create instant brand recognition for Vitalin.
Creative centres on the British love for animals, and focuses on beautiful, playful dogs – with people looking on admiringly and uttering the catchphrase ‘That’s a Vitalin Dog’.
The ad also references the locally sourced ingredients – a unique offering in the space – and embeds the brand firmly in the British countryside, where it was founded 71 years ago.
To shoot the ad, Studio Yes worked with director Katie Bell, who has many years of experience working on commercials with children and animals for some of the UK’s biggest brands. In an unusual twist, Sam Ojari, Managing Director at Studio Yes also provides the ad’s voice over.
The campaign follows a full redesign of the Vitalin brand from B&B studio, the design firm who’ve worked on premium brands such as Belazu, Fever Tree and Pip & Nut.
The new positioning and packaging brings the brand up to date, while maintaining its heritage and connection to the British countryside.
Vitalin is owned by Cranswick Plc, one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers, and owners of brands including Ramona’s and Cypressa.
The brand work and ad are Cranswick’s first major brand (re)launch and represents a significant investment from them in the Vitalin brand.
Jerry Lowe, head of marketing, at Vitalin said:
“We have ambitious plans for the growth of Vitalin – and ultimately, we want to become market leaders in what is a very crowded category.
“The Vitalin brand has stood for British pet food, made with love since 1953 and we’re carrying on that tradition to this day. Our farming roots remain, as such we’re backing British farming and only using British meat in all of our recipes. 67% of our recipes are sourced within 100 miles of our home at Lodge Farm and our packaging is recyclable too.
“The investment in TV, online ads, large creative, media investment and redesign will help us bring Vitalin to the next generation of dog lovers as ‘That’s a Vitalin dog’ brings our Farm to Tail philosophy to life.”
Sam Ojari, managing director at Studio Yes, added:
“Vitalin wanted an ad that made a big impact on viewers – generating instant trust and understanding. They needed to communicate their deep knowledge and love for dogs, the quality of their product, and their connections to the UK countryside.
“And – they needed to be memorable – so we returned to the power of the catchphrase. ‘That’s a Vitalin Dog’ is a brand platform as well as a catchy tagline, and it encompasses so much about the brand – their love for dogs, and the research and care that goes into the products that pets love.
“The positioning puts Vitalin on the map in the pet food landscape and has real longevity. The platform can change over the years, the definition of a Vitalin dog has room to flex, but it’s always one that’s healthy and happy.
“Vitalin has a clear brief for growth – and it’s testament to the power and breadth of reach that TV holds that they chose this route for their first major brand campaign.
Source: Studio Yes
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