Purina, a Nestlé company that sells dog food, has taken a brilliant step by marketing dog food… to dogs. Purina’s new TV ad will feature different noises that capture the attention of both owner and pet: toy-like squeaks, and high-pitched tones will alert dogs during the commercial, and Purina hopes that having pets run to the television screen will coerce owners to buy the Purina brand of dog food.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA_lKnBm3M0&NR=1]

Rightfully, many see the ad as ingenious marketing. I see it differently. Purina’s simple ad sets a precedent by going beyond the limitations of commercials. The commercial takes flashing pixels and a message, and translates both into the physical world of your living room. Purina is engaging the average person (and dog) where they are remarkable unengaged.

It has happened in the past: touchscreen transformed the computer, video games transformed the TV, and augmented reality transformed mobile devices. These all share a common goal: interactivity.

To make something interactive, when it has usually not been interactive, is a complex achievement. Purina does it very simply and effectively. In 6 months, I strongly believe that this will be a marketing staple, thought of as “it’s so easy, why wasn’t it thought of earlier?”