Milk-Bone has some disappointing news: the best movie trailer hitting theatres before award season… isn't real! However, consumers' love for their dogs and Milk-Bone treats remains as authentic as ever.
PSOne, the Publicis Groupe Power of One solution for The J.M. Smucker Co., creatively led by BBH USA, is debuting 'Howl You Know,' Milk-Bone’s parody romantic comedy trailer.
'Howl You Know' is the next iteration of Milk-Bone’s 'More Dog' campaign that takes on pop culture trends and tropes to remind us that the bond with our dogs makes everything better, including dating shows, streetwear, and, most recently in collaboration with Jif Peanut Butter: perfume collabs.
As 71% of moviegoers purposefully go to the theatre to see the trailers, Milk-Bone is MORE DOG-ifying one of the most appreciated parts of the movie-going experience.
'Howl You Know' captures all the corny magic of your favourite rom-com flicks. The spot, directed by up-and-coming feature film director Sammi Cohen ('You're So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah'), starring American actress and singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver, is jam-packed with dog cameos and puns, boasts faux accolades from the fictional 'G’Dog' and 'Boops & Boops' film festivals, and is complete with credits that replace the cast and crew with messages of how great the film could be if it were a reality.
The faux trailer is just the start of Milk-Bone’s dedication to bringing theatricality to the campaign. While the media buy includes TV, OLV, audio, social media and content partnerships, the faux trailer will be featured in-cinema as the trailer before the trailers, with in-cinema OOH to match.
“It’s been a joy to watch the ‘More Dog’ platform evolve into the full-fledged 'dog-iverse' that we’ve built with Milk-Bone,” said Alan Wilson, SVP, group creative director, BBH USA. “We're fortunate to have a client who embraces big, bold, playful ideas with us. As humour makes a comeback in advertising, we're thrilled to bring “Howl You Know” to the big screen and beyond.”
Social is where Milk-Bone's fabricated production company comes to life, with director's chair interviews of 'Howl You Know' stars, red carpet footage of VI-Pup guests, and other :30 and :15-second spots parodying genre films that will launch exclusively online. The online series starts with 'The Barkening.'