How Blue Buffalo, Walmart Partnered for Charity, National Pet Month
What’s new: General Mills’ Blue Buffalo partnered with Walmart to raise money for Best Friends Animal Society from April 1 to May 25.
What we saw: A pallet display in stores encouraged shoppers to buy Blue Buffalo cat and dog food or Nudges treats to “make a best friend match” by helping shelter pets find homes. Each purchase made during the campaign triggered a 50-cent donation (up to $550,000) to the nonprofit.
A QR code on the display linked to a campaign page within Walmart.com that showcased Best Friends Animal Society’s work with shelters and rescue organizations across the U.S.
Additional support: Walmart and Blue Buffalo tied in to the celebration of May as National Pet Month by covering all adoption fees at Best Friends’ shelters throughout the month. The organization touted its support in an Instagram update announcing that it had helped 1,292 pets find new families.
Best Friends also ran adoption events at seven Walmart stores across the country on May 17, which included giveaways and goodie bags filled with pet products for adopters. Other brands, including Clorox’s Fresh Step, Mars’ Temptations and Post Consumer Brands’ Nutrish, joined with Walmart to help donate $1 million to Best Friends over the past year.
“We are grateful to partner with Walmart this National Pet Month to help make pet ownership accessible to all those looking to adopt,” Julie Castle, Best Friends Animal Society chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Adoption is the most affordable option for acquiring a pet, and combined with Walmart’s commitment to keeping pet care accessible, we can help more dogs and cats find and stay in happy homes.”
- About Field Reports
P2PI editors and staff regularly look for interesting and relevant digital and in-store marketing, monitoring the merchandising and marketing activity at various leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada. Our exclusive field reports highlight what's new and notable for commerce marketers.
