BarkBox personalizes musical treats on Twitter for National Dog Day

Brief:

Dog-supply subscription service BarkBox celebrated National Dog Day on Aug. 26 with a campaign that let dog lovers request a personalized song about their beloved pets through Twitter. The #PraiseDog effort enlisted the New York City Gay Men's Chorus to create the tunes for dog owners, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
People could reply to the brand's @barkbox account on Twitter with their dog's name, photo and a few reasons why they deserve praise. BarkBox responded to some of the requests with a song personalized for each pooch.
BarkBox's #PraiseDog campaign includes targeted ads on Hulu, YouTube and social platforms, and 60 photo pedestals around New York, Nashville and Austin to drive user-generated content.

Insight:

Officially designated observances like National Dog Day have become occasions for marketers to launch campaigns on social media platforms and generate viral publicity. BarkBox's #PraiseDog push is novel in enlisting the NYC Gay Men's Chorus to create campy songs for dog lovers and their pets, a move that will likely extend the reach of the campaign as people share their customized videos on social media.

BarkBox's Twitter account received hundreds of requests from dog lovers, as of press time, and responded with music videos that collectively racked up thousands of views.

Other marketers have used similar occasions for their social media campaigns. Most recently, flavored drink brand Kool-Aid observed National Kool-Aid Day on Aug. 9 by giving fans a chance to receive a customized video starring its iconic Kool-Aid Man mascot. For National Avocado Day on July 31, Chipotle Mexican Grill celebrated with a viral #GuacDance challenge on social video app TikTok and giveaways of guacamole at its restaurants. Dating app Bumble worked with Halo Top Creamery on a promotion for National Ice Cream Day on July 21 that gave fans a chance to win free treats.

Meanwhile, BarkBox's Twitter campaign comes as more than 600,000 subscribers pay $29 a month to receive a shipment of dog toys and treats by mail. Parent company Bark in May expanded its subscription service to U.S. customers on Amazon's subscription box store, potentially reaching millions of the e-commerce giant's customers. Spending on pets is forecast to grow 3.9% this year to an estimated $75.4 billion in the U.S., according to the American Pet Products Association, pointing to a growing market that BarkBox is working to capitalize on.