Nestlé Purina pet food TV ad appeals to dogs, owners

Nestlé Purina created  a TV commercial for its Beneful dog food line that uses different sounds to capture the attention of dogs as well as appeal to their owners.

The 23-second commercial was first broadcast in Germany and on the Beneful website during summer 2011 and will also air on Austrian TV.  

“Dogs’ hearing is twice as sharp as humans. They can pick up frequencies which are beyond our range and they are better at differentiating sounds,” said Dr. George Sanders, a nutrition expert and consumer consultant at Nestlé Purina PetCare in Germany.
Using this knowledge, the TV commercial includes different sounds which are likely to be picked up by dogs, such as a squeak, a high-frequency tone similar to a whistle and a "ping." The squeak and "ping" sounds can be heard by both humans and dogs, however the high-frequency whistle tone can barely be heard by humans. 
“The reaction of dogs to the sounds in the commercial depends on how the dog and owner play together, and the dog’s individual experience,” said Dr. Sanders. “Dogs who often play with a squeaky duck as they are running around with their owner will certainly react most strongly to this sound.”