NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 26, 2009) – Super Bowl XLIII is going to the dogs. Well, sort of. While the top two NFL teams will battle it out on the gridiron, PEDIGREE^® Food for Dogs will join the ranks of advertising elite with the airing of a new spot called “Crazy Pets.” The ad will air during the broadcast of the game on February 1, 2009 and marks the brand’s first foray into the Big Game.

Developed by ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles and directed by Traktor, the 30-second spot can be seen during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIII.  The creative concept takes typical family scenarios that involve dogs and replaces them with other, unusual animals ranging from a water buffalo to a boar, to an ostrich.  At its core, the ad celebrates the brand’s love of dogs and emphasizes how much better life is with a dog in it.

“Everything we do at Mars Petfood US, the makers of PEDIGREE^® food for dogs, is based on our love of dogs and we believe the Super Bowl provides us with the perfect platform to celebrate this sentiment,” said John Anton, Marketing Director of the PEDIGREE^® Brand.  “Dogs make great pets and our goal with the spot is to get anyone who is thinking, ‘maybe I should get a dog,’ to consider adoption.”

The airing of the spot ties into The PEDIGREE^® Adoption Drive, an annual fundraising and awareness campaign the brand created five years ago as a means to shine a spotlight on the cause of dog adoption. To date, The PEDIGREE^® Adoption Drive has raised nearly five million dollars for the more than four million dogs that, through no fault of their own, end up homeless each year.

The fifth annual PEDIGREE^® Adoption Drive will run over the course of the year with the hope of raising two million dollars for The PEDIGREE Foundation, a non-profit organization that benefits shelters and breed rescues nationwide.  Dog lovers who want to get involved can make a donation at pedigree.com.

 “Crazy Pets” will air nationally following its debut during Super Bowl XLIII, and starting on January 26, 2009, can also be viewed at pedigree.com, along with behind-the-scenes vignettes featuring the “crazy pet owners” from the commercial.

Additionally, for each view of the “Crazy Pets” spot or behind-the-scenes vignettes between January 26, and February 23, PEDIGREE^® Brand will donate 8 ounces of dry PEDIGREE^® brand food for dogs to animal shelters, up to a total of $1,000,000*. 

All of the animals used in the ad are real and not computer-generated imagery. A representative from the American Humane Association (AHA) was on-site to supervise filming and ensure none of the animals were harmed.

To view the “Crazy Pets” ad and vignettes or make a donation to help homeless dogs, visit www.pedigree.com.

###