You say you love your dog, but have you ever bought them a Super Bowl ad?
That’s exactly what WeatherTech and founder CEO David MacNeil has done. If you watched last year’s Super Bowl, you may recognize MacNeil’s golden retriever Scout, who appeared in a spot for the Chicago-area company’s line of non-toxic pet bowls. This makes Scout, WeatherTech’s unofficial spokes-dog, a bonafide celebrity! He probably visits the Chateau Marmont for cocktails with Lupita Nyong’o and Jon Hamm.
But tragedy can strike even our most beloved famous people, and last year Scout was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He was given about a month to live — until MacNeil decided to bring him to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. There, docs were able to stabilize and then shrink the seven-year-old pooch’s tumor through a radical form of treatment.
So as a thank you, WeatherTech is running another ad featuring Scout this year. But this time none of their own products are advertised, which is generally not what you do with a pricy Super Bowl ad. Viewers are instead given a link where they can donate to the UW veterinary program. It’s invaluable exposure for the school, as this ad is sure to tug at viewers’ heartstrings. “Scout’s illness devastated us,” says MacNeil (a man of contrasts; he’s a DACA-supporting Trump donor). “We wanted this year’s Super Bowl effort to not only raise awareness, but also financial support for the incredible research and innovative treatments happening at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, where Scout is still a patient.”WeatherTech’s ad will also provide some much-needed uplift on this, the day of Mr. Peanut’s funeral.
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