Petbarn shifts to branded entertainment in latest campaign via Howatson+Company
In an effort to further advance the brand’s deep emotional connection with pet parents, Petbarn, alongside Howatson+Company, is reinvigorating its marketing strategy, pursuing a branded entertainment approach.
The move is the first work from CCO Kate Blythe, whose previous roles include CMO at Mecca, Matches Fashion, and Net-a-Porter.
Says Blythe, “Brands that attract loyalty participate in culture, rather than interrupt it. We have a loved brand, and deeply recognisable characters. So we’ve built on that equity by creating the world we all imagine our pets live in. By ‘petsonifying’ our brand characters – Petey and Barnadette (derived from Petbarn) – we give voice to longing eyes, playful barks and sleepy cuddles. That’s where the magic is for Petbarn – to play an even more trusted, more present role, in the lives of pet parents.”
The launch itself took a very different shape to traditional brand comms, setting the branded entertainment intent.
Says Chris Howatson, CEO, Howatson+Company: “For many years, a brand’s feed is where you scroll to feel and understand a brand. Yet as marketers we often bias paid channels when seeking customer connection. Like many brands, Petbarn’s feed was a blend of products, offers, and advice. So to reset the expectation we deleted the entire feed. But entertainingly, it wasn’t us in the social team, but Petey, the over-enthusiastic, if not a little rash, brand ambassador; ‘Uh oh. I think I might have accidentally deleted Petbarn’s entire Instagram account. Is this bad? I think this might be bad.’”
The playful social-first stunt sparked immediate, unprecedented engagement from both existing brand fans and new followers.
Says Blythe: “That first post had over 3,600 likes and organic reach of 6m. It was immediate evidence the strategy would work.”
What followed was a series of candid videos, bad mirror selfies, and unscripted character moments – establishing Petey and Barnadette not as static mascots, but as active creators.
Adds Blythe: “The job then was to build this new universe everywhere. When we’re competing against entertainment, publishing is a daily endeavour with no room for inconsistency. We started internally across social, ecommerce, emails – emails now come from Petey and Barnadette – and stores. Our retail media was reshaped into Petey and Barnadette’s world. Then we prolifically integrated into campaigns.”
Says Howatson: “The OOH holds some of my favourite executions. If a cat were creating an ad, how would she frame a shot? If a dog was the creative director, would he chew on the billboard before dispatching it? Kate has pushed the world at every step of the creative process. I deeply admire her craft of brand storytelling – honed from decades in fashion, an industry that, when at its best, is unrivalled in brand management.”
The production approach was critical to enabling the new world.
Says Blythe: “The Howatson team brought together the very best of traditional and emerging technologies to ensure there was no compromise between budget and outcome.”
Adds Howatson: “We built a custom technical pipeline using 3D modelling, 2D animation, VFX, and custom generative AI tools. We’ve resourced it permanently to enable continuous, high-speed asset generation. And importantly, for a similar budget to previous years, we’ve created hundreds of bespoke assets rather than one or two.”
Client: Greencross Vets
Chief Customer Officer: Kate Blythe
General Manager, Retail Marketing: Mark Richardson
Head of Retail and Integrated Marketing: Sumeena Parimu
Retail Marketing Manager: Faye Andrews
Creative Director: Kate Napier
Agency: Howatson+Company
Chief Executive Officer: Chris Howatson
Executive Strategy Director: Georgia Pritchard
Group Business Director: Jaime Wright
Business Manager: Naomi Waters
Senior Business Director: Kerstin Allin
Business Director: Aoife Lehane
Chief Creative Officer: Gavin Chimes
Group Creative Director: Chris Cheeseman
Group Creative Director: Simon Friedlander
Senior Creative: Maddy Semit
Creative: William Loveder
Creative: Phoebe Gribble
Creative: Olive Jones-Evans
Voice of Petey: Daniel Connell, A List Management
Voice of Barnadette: Amy Kersey, Sophie Jermyn Management
Chief Production Officer: Holly Alexander
Executive Story Director: Paul Meates
Producer: Charlotte Breene
Head of Post Production: King Yong
Senior Editor/VFX Lead: Kyle Brandse
Senior Motion Designer/3D Animator: Dave Sujono
Senior Motion Designer/2D Animator: Steffie Yee
2D Animator (freelance): Josh Trotter
Senior Editor/Colourist: Fraser Kelton
Editor/Colourist: Justin O’Donnell
Head of Music and Sound: Shane Vancuylenberg
Composer/Sound Designer: Robbie Balatincz
Head of Design: Trent Michael
Design Director: Greg Beer
Senior Designer: Cory Lo
Designer: Harry Chambers
Designer: Henry Leng
Junior Designer: Phil Reyestan
Studio Lead: Simon Merrifield
Finished Artist and Designer: Patrick Rivera
Fashion Retoucher: Melanie Erler
General Manager, Media: James Turner
National Investment Director: Jamie Nelson
Media Manager: Alice Madden
Senior Media Executive: Nicholas Glass
Group PR and Influencer Director: Michael Rossiter
PR and Influencer Account Manager: Grace Powers
Senior PR Account Executive: Isla Watson
Senior Operations Manager: Lydia Askew
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