Nutro's 'This is Clean': dogs who eat clean have the energy to get dirty

Reposition a 90-year-old natural pet food pioneer around simple, purposeful, trustworthy recipes with real, recognizable, non-GMO ingredients.

The juxtaposition of clean and dirty: show real, energetic dogs of all shapes and sizes living a clean lifestyle, with the energy to get dirty.

The BBDO-created 'This is Clean' spot ran on national TV and across digital channels, carrying the Feed Clean philosophy, backed by a new limited ingredient diet line, new grain free recipes and new packaging.

No metrics in the source; the campaign carried the 'Nutro. Feed Clean' philosophy nationally and launched the new product lines and packaging alongside it.

In April 2017 the Nutro brand relaunched itself around a new philosophy — 'Nutro. Feed Clean' — with a commitment to recipes that are simple, purposeful and trustworthy, made with real, recognizable, non-GMO ingredients. Marketing director Eric Huston said the brand, which 'pioneered natural pet food 90 years ago', took inspiration from human clean eating: 'not only about the food you eat but how it makes you feel'.

With BBDO San Francisco, Nutro created 'This is Clean', a spot showing the brand's pledge to clean recipes that give dogs energy. The creative insight was that dogs gain energy from what they eat, so the campaign shows 'real, energetic dogs of all shapes and sizes living a clean lifestyle'. As Huston put it: 'We believe that dogs who eat clean have the energy to get dirty. The juxtaposition of clean and dirty sets Nutro apart from traditional dog food ads in a fun and relatable way.'

The relaunch was more than a film: Nutro introduced a new limited ingredient diet line of dry dog food, new grain free recipes, and new packaging, with the campaign running nationally on TV and digital to put the philosophy in front of owners.

Borrowing the human clean-eating trend let a 90-year-old natural-petfood pioneer sound current instead of nostalgic.

Energy is the visible proof of ingredient quality: a dirty, zooming dog demonstrates 'clean' better than any recipe breakdown.

The clean/dirty contrast gives the brand a memorable tension that conventional pet food ads — bowls, coats, close-ups — lack.

A brand promise lands harder as a juxtaposition: clean eating shown through dirty dogs beats reciting an ingredient list.

As of April 2017, 'This is Clean' was running on national TV and digital channels, carrying the Feed Clean philosophy and the new limited ingredient, grain free and repackaged lines.