Doggie Day Camp: The Ultimate Experience

Creative Brief & Business Objective

PetSmart sought to drive awareness of Doggie Day Camp to prospective pet parents and introduce the program’s enriched tier. The business objective required developing and launching an omnichannel campaign to support the rollout of the enhanced experience nationwide.

Key creative mandatories included:

• Associate as Hero: Visually and verbally demonstrating PetSmart Associates interacting directly with dogs, framing the Associate as the energetic, certified “ring master.”
• Socialization & Play: Visually and verbally capturing dogs playing, socializing, and thriving together.
• Specific Program Elements: Highlighting signature hourly activities, including bubble time, story time, cognitive puzzles, and supervised agility games.

Creative Concept: The Ultimate Experience

“You have busy days. Dogs should too. PetSmart’s Doggie Day Camp provides supervised socialization, stimulating games, and enriching activities. A structured program of hourly activities led by certified Camp Counselors—dogs love it, and pet parents will too.”

The creative concept centered around “The Ultimate Experience: An Enriching New Way to Play.” By structuring the narrative around both the physical and cognitive benefits of dog socialization, the campaign connected emotionally with pet parents seeking the highest standard of care while away from home.

Visual Identity & Design System

To bring the theatrical and joyful nature of Doggie Day Camp to life across retail touchpoints, the design system established:

1. Vibrant Color Palette:

   • Bright Cyan & Sky Blue: Evoking fresh air, energy, and open-air play.
   • Rich Teal: Grounding the PetSmart Services brand equity.
   • Warm Marigold Yellow: Providing high-contrast warmth, optimism, and eye-catching retail visibility.
   • Deep Navy: Ensuring crisp typographic readability.

2. Typography System:

   • Sacramento: A lively, friendly script lockup for “the ultimate experience”, infusing warmth and approachable charm.
   • Brandon Grotesque: Bold, modern geometric sans-serif delivering clear hierarchy, punchy headlines, and aisle-distance legibility.

3. Photography Art Direction:

   • Intimate, expressive portraits of dogs in active, joyful poses (such as paws-up begging and playful jumps) interacting with bubbles and toys.
   • Distinctive Marigold border framing to instantly signal the new program tier.

Omnichannel Campaign Rollout

The launch ecosystem spanned physical and digital customer touchpoints:

• In-Store Retail Presence: High-impact A-frame entrance signs, counter displays at Services desks, and register collateral welcoming shoppers into the program.
• Take-Home Collateral: Custom Paw Report inserts detailing each dog’s daily activities, counselor notes, and favorite games.
• Circular & Print Advertising: Targeted print placements highlighting program tiers, cognitive benefits, and introductory promotions.
• Digital & E-Commerce Integration: Responsive web mockups and booking flows for PetSmart Services online scheduling.
• Email Marketing: High-conversion launch campaigns and re-engagement messaging tailored to existing PetSmart pet parents.