The Pet Connection: Multimedia Series with Purina
The Partnership
As of 2019, The Washington Post had never had a six-figure consumer packaged goods advertising partner. This changed with The Pet Connection, a program inspired by the insight that 95% of owners say pets are family, so it’s time to shed a journalistic light on that bond between pets and people.
In order to help drive trust and increase brand distinction, The Washington Post Creative Group crafted a content approach that spanned newsroom-style articles, audio sponsorships, doc-style videos, and multimedia releases featuring original audio interviews.
The WORK
As part of this multimedia content approach, I led the production of:
An original doc-style video featuring Noël Russell, a zero-footprint lifestyle advocate and nomadic storyteller. Through the lens of her connection with her two pups, we highlighted the significance of the steps that Purina is taking to make 100% of their packaging recyclable by 2025
A series of originally-scripted and recorded audio sponsorships, which ran across The Washington Post’s editorial podcasts
A series of audio interview with leaders from the San Diego Humane Society, as part of a multimedia piece on the expansive role of animal shelters in helping both pets and people
View Noël’s full story here
The client and audience reception to the 2020 program was so incredibly positive that Purina only RFP’d The Washington Post as it’s potential news partner the following year. I worked closely with our pre-sale strategists to push the envelope even further with video, including new and inventive formats to help close the sale.
This year, I led the production of:
An original doc-style video featuring Danielle Leoni, a Phoenix-based award-winning chef focused on sustainable sourcing practices. By highlighting her values around local and sustainable ingredients for both herself, her customers, and her pup, we highlighted the significance of Purina’s transparent and ethical sourcing practices. (Side note: This video had been slated for 2019, but had to be cut due to budget cutbacks. However, the client loved it so much that when they got their 2020 budgets, they specifically required that this was part of our program)
An immersive video-led timeline experience, featuring a doc-style video about a young girl, Kailyn, and the impact that her family dog had made on her life, along with video vignettes with a Purina Veterinarian that provided actionable insights and tips for the general audience who might be considering their own pet adoption
Custom stop-motion video vignettes that augmented a quiz-based experience on pet sustainability
My specific responsibilities throughout the partnership included:
Creative Development: Established doc-style story beats, wrote and developed video treatments, scripted audio prompts for interviewees, and directed the over-arching program aesthetic and tone
Crew Contracting & Briefing: Hired all production partners, established scopes of work and contracts, briefed vendors and provided daily feedback/direction, and served as central point-of-contact for any logistical and/or creative decisions
Location Review and Direction: Reviewed and recommended locations or logistics based on client guidelines and communication needs
Casting: Researched, pitched, and contracted video talent; served as the day-to-day contact for all talent updates
“On-Set” Production Direction: Attended all filming and recording session to give real-time direction
Paper Editing: Constructed the paper edits of all video/audio elements
Cut Direction: Provided feedback and direction on each step of the edit process, including storyboard art direction for stop motion, live-action shot selection, and audio references (as applicable)
Client Presentation: Served as the client-facing production representative on all calls, walked the client through deliverables as needed, responded to feedback, and pitched/explained any unique production approaches or elements being introduced
The results
Purina renewed and increased the their multi-million dollar partnership with The Washington Post year-over-year.
Across the program, we saw our audience engage deeply with the stories, take action on social and report that they were positively persuaded by the narratives. Page views for the entire program were 74% above benchmark, and the messaging of the program clearly resonated with our audience based on an audience survey that showed audience favorability toward Purina increased 14 points after engaging with one of the videos.