Why you didn’t see a Farmer’s Dog ad in this year’s Super Bowl
Buying your first Super Bowl ad is a defining moment for many companies. This is the biggest stage, with leading brands all competing for the audience’s attention. But every year, a few ads stand out from all the rest and leave lasting impressions for years to come. In 2023’s Super Bowl, that ad was from The Farmer’s Dog.
Ranked as #1 in USA Today’s 2023 Ad Meter competition, The Farmer’s Dog won over audiences with its 60-second ad spot. The ad follows a dog ‘Bear’ and its owner ‘Ava’ as they move through life’s biggest moments together. Among ads featuring big-name celebrities, outlandish humor, and dramatic effects, The Farmer’s Dog ad was a welcome and quiet reprieve that tugged at the audience's heartstrings.
The feedback from the ad was positive and immediate, transferring not only into sales with a record-breaking number of new subscriptions, but also a burst of awareness extended and sustained through a chain reaction of earned media. So, if a brand runs a wildly successful ad placement in the Super Bowl, you would expect them to do it again, right? In the case of The Farmer’s Dog, the answer is no, and here’s why.
Creating the perfect storm
While the 2022 NFL season was in full swing, The Farmer’s Dog was busy defining and redefining its growth strategy. Although they had experienced great success with their early adopters, they recognized that latent demand existed far beyond that initial audience. To sustain their exponential year-over-year growth, the team, in partnership with Eden Collective, began expanding their target audience on TV to include new segments.
In the months leading up to the 2023 Super Bowl, The Farmer’s Dog strategically tested the effectiveness of investing in high profile moments and sports opportunities. These initial investments yielded a strong response, successfully attracting new audiences. Simultaneously, The Farmer’s Dog was working on a unique ad, unlike anything they had done before that told the “Why” behind their Brand. While not originally created with the Super Bowl in mind, the team immediately recognized this ad’s potential to become a significant brand moment and connect with dog lovers everywhere.
With strong early traction among sports enthusiasts and a compelling brand asset, when the opportunity to negotiate a 2023 Super Bowl ad deal arose, the teams at The Farmer’s Dog and Eden Collective decided to seize it.
Capitalizing on Super Bowl success
The success of this ad placement was both immediate and long-lasting, marked by significant spikes in new subscriptions on the first day and consistent results over the long term. Leveraging the insights gained from the Super Bowl data, The Farmer’s Dog and Eden Collective conducted a detailed analysis, delving into granular details to identify patterns and insights. This analysis informed the creation of an ongoing media investment strategy, aiming to continue success among this audience and sustain their high-growth trajectory.
Throughout 2023 and into 2024, The Farmer’s Dog strategically invested in spots during high profile events to maintain top of mind awareness. By meticulously analyzing complex data and performance metrics, the brand capitalized on its Super Bowl success, effectively spreading brand equity throughout the year. The result? The brand experienced such sustained success that it did not see the need to run another ad in this year’s Super Bowl.
About The Farmer’s Dog
Since its founding in 2014, The Farmer’s Dog has emerged as the leader in reimagining the $100+ billion pet-care industry, starting by making fresh food for dogs. Founded on the idea that avoiding ultra-processed food is an important way to improve the health of our pets, The Farmer’s Dog makes its fresh recipes in human-food facilities to human-food standards. Food plans are designed by board-certified nutritionists, pre-portioned for each dog’s unique needs, and delivered right to customers’ doors. To date, we’ve delivered hundreds of millions of meals nationwide and continue to apply technology and research to improving how we care for our pets.
About Eden Collective
Founded in 2019, Eden Collective is a boutique media strategy consultancy supporting high growth brands. By combining advanced media science capabilities that far exceed the scope of standard media optimization, with deep technical media planning, and a team with extensive knowledge of media and marketing, Eden works with clients to make expert interpretations of the data.