New Nature's Recipe digital campaign shows cat, dog perspective

New York Times
Nature's Recipe's new digital campaign gives "collar cameras" to pet owners so they can post the photos online in scrapbooks.
Del Monte Foods' Nature's Recipe petfood brand is launching a new digital campaign that says it provides views from the dog's- and cat's-eye perspective. The US$2.6 million "Nature's Recipe for Moments" campaign has the tagline: "See life through their eyes. Experience the moments that Nature's Recipe can provide."
The campaign centers on a microsite, naturesrecipeformoments.com, where visitors can browse virtual scrapbooks of photographs meant to chronicle some of America's relationships between pets and their owners. The photographs in the scrapbooks are snapped by "collar cameras" provided by Nature's Recipe to cat and dog owners who the company deemed to be influencers.
The campaign currently has 40 pets and the goal is for 50 scrapbooks. As part of the campaign, consumers will be offered a chance to enter a contest through the Nature's Recipe Facebook fan page to win collar cameras so they, too, can contribute photographs. Visitors to the site can share the scrapbooks via social media.
The lead agency for the campaign is Digitaria in San Diego, California, USA, part of the JWT division of WPP, the digital agency of record for Nature's Recipe.
"When we think about marketing to our consumers, where our consumers are engaging, we look at using digital to reach them, understand them," said Gina Squara, director for digital strategy at Del Monte Foods, primarily because owners are already "in the digital space."
Sarah Kotlova, vice president for client services at Digitaria, said the goal was to give Nature's Recipe a more emotional approach in a category in which ads can be "very bland," depicting "dogs walking on the beach" or arguing "over what's in the food or what's not in the food: 'We have carrots.' 'We don't have carrots.'"
Influenced by lifelogging, or tracking one's life by capturing data and images with cameras and computers, she came up with the concept to use technology to demonstrate pets' lives "through their eyes, from their perspective," Kotlova said.

Finalists announced for Purina ONE, GOOD 'Hero Pets' photo challenge

Purina ONE petfood brand and GOOD announced the 15 finalists of their "Hero Pets to The Rescue" photo challenge. 
Among the finalists to the contest are an Army-enlisted German Shephard, a K-9 First Responder in the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, USA, school tragedy and a Laborador that saved her diabetic owner's life. 
The public can vote now through December 9 at 12 p.m. PT for their favorite finalists to be selected as the winning hero pet. The winning pet will receive a year's supply of Purina ONE food, a US$5,000 donation made in their name to a pet service nonprofit organization and be featured in an article on good.is. 

Purina ONE, GOOD celebrate pets as everyday heroes with new contest

Purina ONE and GOOD are teaming up to celebrate the ways that pets are everyday heroes with the new "Hero Pets to the Rescue" photo and video challenge.
Now through November 11, pet owners can submit a photo or video and a true story about how their cat or dog has helped someone in need. A panel of judges will review applications and select 15 hero pets to move on as finalists for the GOOD community to vote on from December 2-9. 
The hero pet with the most votes from the GOOD community will receive a year's supply of Purina ONE brand petfood, a featured post on Good.is to share their pet's story and a US$5,000 donation made to the winner's choice of one of the following four pet service nonprofit organizations: Pet Partners, Support Dogs Inc., New Horizons Service Dogs Inc., or Working Dogs for Conservation.
"At Purina ONE, we're always striving to highlight the positive difference pets make in everyone's life," said Christina Schneider, assistant brand manager, Purina ONE. "Whether in small ways or in bigger ways, all cats and dogs are heroes to the people who love them. We look forward to seeing the inspiring stories that pet owners submit to the 'Hero Pets to the Rescue' Challenge."

Watch cat videos to donate petfood to shelters in 9Lives brand, ASPCA promotion

9Lives cat food brand and its spokescat, Morris, are supporting the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to help cats most in need. The cat food brand will donate up to 1 million meals to shelters for the 9Lives Morris' Rescue WatchSM campaign.
The campaign encourages people to participate by watching cat videos on MorrisRescueWatch.com. For each view, the campaign will donate one meal to a shelter up to 1 million meals. Additionally, through October 18, fans can submit their own cat videos for a chance to be one of three winners who will each receive a year's supply of 9Lives cat food and a US$3,000 donation to a shelter of their choice.
"9Lives Morris' Rescue Watch is a fun, easy, and interactive way for cat lovers to help feed and care for cats in need across the country," said Carrie Schliemann, director of cat food marketing at Del Monte Foods. "With the increased popularity of watching and sharing funny cat videos, we know fans will help make a big impact on the lives of shelter cats. We're thrilled to partner with the ASPCA in a continued effort to ensure that every cat lives well."

Vote online for winner in Purina One, Good 'Picturing Pets' Challenge through September 17

Good, a social network website for social good, and Purina One petfood brand have selected 15 former shelter pets as finalists in the "Picturing Pets" Challenge. The photos of the 15 rescued dogs are up for vote online until September 17 at 12 p.m. PT. 
The contest asked pet owners to submit an inspiring story and photo that celebrates how pets make the world a better place. The competition aims to change the perception of shelter pets and show how every pet changes lives. 
The winner will have the chance to donate to two animal shelters and win a year's supply of Purina One petfood. 

Evanger's searches for pet photos for 2014 calendar

Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Company is looking for new pet photos to feature in its nationwide pets calendar. Each winner selected as a "Cover" pet, "Holiday Feature" pet and/or "Pet of the month" will receive a prize package of Evanger's petfood and treats. 
Entrants can compete for a feature spread in each of the calendar's five themes for 2014: Dog and Cat Sport Exhibitors, Service Dogs, Rescued Pets, Most Creative Pet and Most Active Pet at Play. Winners will receive Evanger's Nothing but Natural grain-free jerky treats and Evanger's super-premium canned and dry petfood, as well as a 2014 calendar. 
Entries should be submitted on or before August 31. More information on the various ways to enter the contest can be found on Evanger's Facebook page and website. On September 3, selected finalists from each category will be uploaded to Evanger's Facebook Page for two weeks for voting. Entries that receive the most votes from each category will be selected as the grand-prize winners.

Friskies cat food brand calls for entries to video contest

Cat food brand Friskies is calling for video entries to "The Friskies" contest for the chance to win a US$5,000 cash prize and a custom-made, gold-plated statue. 
Cat owners can upload a video up to two minutes long to www.TheFriskies.com that captures their cat's funniest or most adventurous moment through July 15. Entries are accepted in four categories: 

• Cat Comedy: Your cat(s) in an humorous situation
• Catventure: An indoor cat adventure
• Rescue Cat: Your cat(s) adopted from a rescue group or shelter enjoying life
• Pursuit of Food/Treat: Your cat(s) pursuing or engaging with their cat food or treat(s)
All entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges using the following criteria to select 20 semi-finalists (five from each category): originality & overall artistic impression, audience appeal & entertainment quality, sense that there's a story being told and portraying cat's perspective.  
The 20 semi-finalists will be announced on August 6 and will be awarded a one-year supply of Friskies cat food and Friskies Party Mix brand cat treats. Then, the public will have a chance to vote on the semi-finalists' videos through September 16 to select the top three videos from each category. These finalists will win a trip to New York, New York, USA, to attend "The Friskies" award show on October 15, where one grand-prize winner from each of the four categories will be selected. The four grand-prize winners along with a fan-favorite winner will receive a Friskies Catuette statue and a US$5,000 cash prize.

Pet blog awards contest now accepting nominations

The fourth annual "Petties Awards" is now accepting nominations from the pet blogging community and their readers to recognize the best pet-related blogs of 2013.
Hosted by DogTime Media, the "Petties" is expected to exceed 2012's record of more than 20,000 nominations, and will accept nominations in 10 categories: Best Dog Blog, Best Cat Blog, Best Cause-Related Blog, Best Designed Blog, Best Individual Blog Post, Best Active-Living Blog, Funniest Blog or Blogger, Best Video Post, Best Pet Mobile Application and Best Overall Pet Blog.
The awards also give back to the animal community, allowing participants to choose a nonprofit animal shelter or rescue during the nomination process to receive a US$10,000 grant. The shelter with the most nominations will win the grant.
Nominations for the 2013 DogTime Pet Blog awards close June 28. The four bloggers with the most nominations in each category will be chosen as finalists. Voting for the finalists opens July 5 and closes July 31. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony in September. Each winning blogger will be awarded a US$1,000 donation to the animal shelter of their choice, along with a custom "Petties" award trophy, a "Petties Winner" badge for their blog site, a package of editorial coverage across the DogTime Media Network, and other social media traffic-driving opportunities.

PetSafe names 15 US cities as finalists in 'Bark for Your Park' contest

PetSafe announced 15 cities across the US that will move on to compete as finalists in the "Bark for Your Park" contest with a chance to win US$100,000 or US$25,000 to build a local dog park.
For the third year in a row, pet lovers across the US demonstrated their desire for off-leash dog parks in their communities, nominating 1,130 cities to compete to win a share of US$200,000 in funding for local dog parks through the PetSafe contest.
"We are overwhelmed again by the enthusiasm for 'Bark for Your Park,' and we'd like to see every community in America enjoy a dog park," said Randy Boyd, president and CEO of Radio Systems Corporation, maker of the PetSafe brand. "That's why we're proud and excited to help five of our 15 finalist cities this year build their community dog parks. But, no matter the outcome of the contest, we hope all 1,130 cities will continue to 'bark' for their parks and rally the support needed to make their dog park dreams a reality."
The finalist communities will continue "barking" for their park by voting daily on www.petsafe.net and PetSafe's Facebook page now through July 26. Finalist cities are required to submit a 30-second video designed to show the world why they deserve to win a dog park, and each city whose video receives 1,000 views on YouTube will earn an additional 1,000 votes.
The finalist city with the most votes will be named the winner of a US$100,000 PetSafe dog park. The city with the highest percentage of votes to its population will receive the "Bark from Your Heart" award and earn US$25,000 toward building a local dog park. The top vote-earners in each size category of small, medium and large cities will also each receive US$25,000 toward building a PetSafe dog park. "Bark for Your Park" contest winners will be announced on July 31. 

"Purina Pets At Work Contest" awards one winning business with pet-friendly makeover, donation to local pet shelter

Pet food manufacturer Nestle Purina PetCare is conducting a nationwide search to find America's most pet-friendly workplaces in the "Purina Pets At Work Contest."
Contest entrants can submit a story and photos about how their company is pet friendly, and Purina will select one winning business to become even more pet friendly and donate to a local pet welfare organization. The winning business will receive a makeover to outfit the business with pet-friendly materials (valued at US$5,000) and a US$10,000 donation will be made to a local pet shelter.
Entrants should describe how pets have made a positive impact on their workplace and why their workday is better for both them and their pet because the office is pet-friendly. Entrants should describe their employer's "Pets at Work" program, provide three to five photos that show pets in their workplace, and answer both of the following questions:
• How do pets truly have a positive impact in your workplace?
• How is having a pet-friendly office mutually beneficial for employees and pets?
Nominations will be accepted until January 15, 2013. The winner will be announced in the spring of 2013. Official contest rules and additional details can be viewed online.

GREENIES brand hosts video contest for free pet treats

Pet food manufacturer The Nutro Company's GREENIES brand is hosting its inaugural "The GREENIES Awards," an online video contest where participants compete for a chance to win a lifetime supply of GREENIES chews or treats for their pets.
From June 13–29, pet owners can submit an original video less than one minute long of the creative things their pet will do for a GREENIES treat on the brand's Facebook page. Cats and dogs are both eligible to be chosen as the winner in the categories of: Best Vocal Performance for a GREENIES treat, Best Trick for a GREENIES treat or Best Smile for a GREENIES treat. A lifetime supply of treats will be given to the winner in each category.
A panel of judges will select five finalists in each contest category, and these finalists will then be scored by a combination of judges' votes and Facebook fan votes to select the grand-prize winners in each category. 
More information, including contest rules, is available on the GREEENIES Facebook page.

Purina hosts vet contest as part of pet weight-loss initiative

Nestle Purina PetCare is teaming up with Olympic gold-medal volleyball player Misty May-Treanor to help guide veterinarians in giving pet weight-loss advice. As part of this pet weight-loss initiative, the company is also hosting an essay contest for veterinarian staff trained as Purina Certified Weight Coaches.
The contest, which runs through June 15, invites Purina Certified Weight Coaches to write a short essay about what it means to be a weight coach and why they joined the program. The winner will receive a five-night California, USA, spa experience for two. 
“Veterinarians understand that proper nutrition and exercise are the keys to a healthy body condition for pets, but we also need to help owners feel motivated while supporting them in their journey to find their happier, more energetic pets through diet and activity,” said Grade Long, DVM, director of veterinary technical marketing with Nestle Purina PetCare. “An opportunity exists for veterinary staff to offer weight counseling as a unique and personalized service for their clients, so that together they can achieve these goals.”

Iams pet food launches Facebook contest for senior pets

Iams pet food brand is launching a contest on its Facebook page that lets dog and cat owners whose pets are 11 years old or older enter to win a year's supply of pet food to celebrate the Iams new Senior Plus formula and educate pet owners about the unique nutritional needs of senior pets. 
Each week, the "Play Young, Stay Young" contest will select a winning dog and cat, based on a photo and brief essay submitted by the owner. The contest, which runs through June 3, will award a total of 16 pets (eight dogs and eight cats) with a year's supply of Iams Senior Plus and will feature the pets on its Facebok page. 
“On the heels of introducing our new Senior Plus formula, we launched the ‘Play Young, Stay Young’ contest to offer pet parents a fun and unique opportunity to celebrate their 11 and older four-legged family members with the chance to win free food for a year,” said Laura Lewis, external relations manager, Iams. “We’re all looking forward to reading the many entries that bring to life how cats and dogs can really benefit from a proper diet and active lifestyle.” 

Contest will award two winners and two animal rescues with free Spring Naturals dog food, treats

Spring Naturals pet food brand is partnering with Daily Kibble for a contest that will award two Daily Kibble subscribers with a chance to win free Spring Naturals dog food for themselves and the animal shelter or rescue of their choice. 
Daily Kibble readers can enter into the drawing by visiting the Daily Kibble Spring Naturals Web page by April 30, and submitting their name, email address, zip code and animal shelter or rescue of their preference. 
A grand-prize winner will be selected to receive US$500 in Spring Naturals dinners and treats for dogs, and the animal organization of the winner's choice will receive US$2,000 in donated Spring Naturals dinners to feed the pets in their care. A second winner will also be selected to receive US$250 in Spring Naturals dinners and treats for dogs, and $500 in dinners will also be donated to the animal organization of that winner's choice. 

Sergeant's announces 'Share the Love' contest winners

Sergeant Pet Care Products Inc. announced the winners of its “Share the Love” love letter contest, which celebrated the love between people and their pets.
The contest took place February 1 through February 28, in conjunction with the launch of the company's new PurLuv line of treats.
“What an honor to read so many stories about the love between pets and their owners,” said Caryn Stichler, vice president of marketing at Sergeant’s. “We’re very grateful to all of those who sent in their creative, heartwarming letters and poems. They were not only entertaining, but reminded us at Sergeant’s how fortunate we are to work each day to help improve the lives of pets and strengthen that animal-human bond.”
The grand prize winner was Theresa Kosa, of West Haven, Connecticut, USA, who submitted a letter expressing appreciation for her dog Ralphie's support when her husband was deployed overseas in the US military. She will receive a three-day, two-night trip for two to New York City, USA, and a pet care product assortment gift pack. The first runner-up, Isabella Miller-Eberlin, and her dog, Josephine, will receive a year of pampering with bi-monthly grooming, up to six visits, at a grooming salon and a pet care product assortment gift pack. Other winners, who will receive a pet care product assortment gift pack, included: Valerie Anania and her dog Pearl; Rachel Munyon and her dog Bella; India Lipton and her dog Charlton Dane; Becca Friedman and her dog Cooper; Vicki Howell and her dog Jackpot; and Juliann McHann and her dog Spud.

Sergeant's Pet Care Products, Morris Animal Foundation choose winners in national cat photo contest

One of the three finalists.

Sergeant's Pet Care Products, in conjunction with Morris Animal Foundation and celebrity animal advocate Betty White, has chosen the top three winners of the Happy, Healthy Cat Photo Contest.
Sergeant’s and Morris joined forces to launch and promote the contest to bring attention to feline health and research and promote happier, healthier lives for felines. There were more than 1,000 entries to the contest and tens of thousands of visitors viewed the photo gallery during the six-week contest period. Brittany Carper of Seguin, Texas, won the grand prize for her photo of her two kittens. Her winning photo will appear on the cover of AnimalNews, a Morris publication. Lauren Parry of Riverton, N.J., and Jane Kirkland of Downington, Penn. were the two runners up.

Greenies hosts pet smile contest

Greenies will hold its second-annual “Show Us Your Pet's Healthy Smile” contest, an initiative dedicated to educating pet owners on the importance of daily oral care for their pets.

Greyhound wins Petrodex photo contest

Comet, a seven-year-old Greyhound, won the Superstar Smiles Photo Contest sponsored by Petrodex, a dental brand from Sergeant’s Pet Care Products Inc.
Radio personality and pet enthusiast Steve Dale served as the celebrity judge of the nationwide contest, which received nearly 2,000 photo entries in four weeks.