Since price brands had copied their recipe, Purina told us Dog Chow was a parity product. The Account Director and I developed the strategy. How did they get their recipe? Research. Why? Improve it. Why? Healthier dogs. So what? Lived longer. Tweaked (Helping Pets Live Longer, Healthier Lives) this became Ralson’s global, corporate positioning for a decade. Born from a ‘parity’ product. Listen to the announcers last line in telling the story: “There’s nothing better for your dog.” Parity claim. Strategy isn’t one thing. It’s everything.

I could write a book about this spot. That it is the only commercial Tom Waits ever did is just one element to the story. I don’t think I have ever overcome so many obstacles to get a spot approved, produced and on the air. It won a Lion at Cannes and when I told the client, he just said, “That’s nice. I’m up three share points.“

Sometimes being ‘creative’ means outsmarting money. More to the point, lack of it. Launching a new packaged good product with marginal media weights. So I used traditional packaged goods structuring but used the TV screen as a canvas to create awareness. I had people asking me, “Why did you do that in blacklight?” The question was the answer. They remembered it.

A commodity product that had gone from 90% share to 50%. I developed the strategy to find new uses. In testing, two totally different style animatics scored an identical 82% unaided recall; the second highest score JWT ever had. And there was two of them. A print ad, with no coupon, no bold type but directions on how to write to get recipes written in the body copy had the highest redemption the client ever had. There is a reason I preach strategies. It’s called, ‘results’.

A spot I wrote and directed for. company specializing in using non actors…real people…for both commercials and promotional films. When you don’t have the budget or the talent pool for professional performers, with the proper direction, real people can work exceptionally well.