I'm from the heartland, and I will always be a midwestern girl even as the years I've been living in Dallas fly by. These are my daily musings and interests for my family in Ohio, who I see far too little of, and for anyone else who cares what I had for dinner. Feel free to email me at jecgirlie@gmail.com.

You Can't Take the Ohio Out of the Girl

“the purebred mission…” Wow. That’s not a really worthy mission. In fact, that sucks. I usually enjoy the dog show, but will not be watching this year.
thedailywhat:

This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the Day: The Westminster Kennel Club announced yesterday that it had dropped Pedigree as a sponsor of its world-famous Dog Show after 24 years because its TV ads were too sad.

In an Associated Press article that reads like something out of The Onion, WKC director and Dog Show host David Frei explained that Pedigree’s commercials, which feature “puppies behind bars,” stood counter to the show’s message.

“We want people to think of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show as a celebration of the dogs in our lives,” said Frei. “Show me an ad with a dog with a smile; don’t try to shame me.”

WKC ultimately replaced Pedigree with Nestlé Purina PetCare, whose ads feature happier dogs. Frei says the club told Pedigree to loosen up, but was rebuffed.

“They’ve shared with us, when we parted ways, that they felt that our advertising was focused too much on the cause of adoption and that wasn’t really a shared vision,” said Mars Petcare US brand communications manager Melissa Martellotti.

The split came down to ideology: WKC, with its focus “on the purebred mission” opposed Pedigree’s mixed-breed adoption agenda.

Asked about the role the Dog Show sponsorship played in promoting Pedigree’s adoption initiatives, Martellotti used 2007 as an example, saying the company received over $500,000 in donations as a direct response to its Dog Show ads.

“People did not look away,” she told the AP. “They were inspired to pick up the phone and make donations.”

The 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is set to air this Monday and Tuesday on USA and CNBC. Some 3.4 million viewers tuned in last year.

[nyt / ap via usnews / photo: afp/getty.]