Vol. 113 PetSmart Charities: Promoting pet adoption 🐶

Case Studied
Charity meets entertainment 

It’s difficult for any campaign to break through the metaphorical noise, much less a charity-driven one. 

Nevertheless, there are some standout exceptions. The Ice Bucket Challenge became a viral phenomenon that raised over $220 million for ALS research. The Movember Foundation raised over $1 billion for men’s health programs since its inception in 2003. And in 2024, PetSmart Charities went viral by calling attention to their pet adoption efforts. 

This week, Case Studied explores how a PetSmart Charities campaign helped get over 19,000 pets adopted.

The Brief

PetSmart has been a dominant player in pet retail for decades. They operate more than 1,600 stores across North America, offering products, services, and veterinary care. 

Adoption is a core pillar of the brand through PetSmart Charities, their nonprofit arm that partners with local animal welfare organizations. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has helped facilitate millions of pet adoptions by working with thousands of shelters and rescue groups nationwide. 

Thirty years after its inception, PetSmart Charities was set to reach a key milestone: 11 million pet adoptions. So, to celebrate the achievement, they launched a campaign documenting the journey to achieving it.

The Execution

PetSmart Charities launched the Journey to 11 Million campaign with support from Oh, hi & Co and True Independent Films. 

The campaign showcased the journey of five adoptable pets who were competing to be the 11 millionth pet adopted. Framed in a reality-TV-style format, it pulled inspiration from shows like The Bachelor and Love Island—only the contestants competing were pets. 

The social-first reality series was launched in tandem with National Adoption Week. It followed each pet’s personality, foster experience, and path to adoption. The pets were fostered by a PetSmart Charities team member—including President Aimee Gilbreathr—for three days leading up to the event.

The brand was intentional about having platform-native executions. On Instagram, the content leaned into fast-paced, vertical, episodic clips. It had “confessionals,” competitive framing, and voting-style moments designed to feel native to Reels culture. 

On Facebook, the storytelling shifted toward longer-form, documentary-style videos that followed two key journeys in greater depth: Razor and Goofball (the latter of whom ultimately became the 11 millionth adoption).

To extend engagement, the campaign mixed short-form native videos with longer adoption stories that were distributed across Facebook and YouTube. The brand also put a spotlight on local adoption events happening nationwide at PetSmart stores during National Adoption Week.

The Results

The Journey to 11 Million campaign generated 1.6 million video views across Facebook and Instagram. The series accounted for 65% of PetSmart’s monthly engagements on Instagram and social performance for October’s National Adoption Week surged compared to previous campaigns.

The campaign also resulted in 19,473 pets being adopted in the U.S. All five pets featured on the series were adopted or found foster care within days of the finale

The Takeaways

1)  Treat milestones as stories, not announcements.

PetSmart Charities could’ve celebrated 11 million adoptions with a press release or single post. But instead, it serialized the moment. By stretching the milestone across episodes, characters, and a clear narrative arc, the campaign turned a number into something people wanted to follow.

When your brand hits a milestone, resist the urge to simply announce it. Ask how that moment can unfold over time. Telling stories about the feat can increase emotional connections, memorability, and engagement.

2) Keep it platform-native.

This campaign didn’t recycle the same content everywhere. Instagram prioritized humor, pacing, and competition-style clips, while Facebook leaned into longer, emotional narratives. The brand recognized that audiences engage with content differently on each platform and acted accordingly. 

When planning social-first campaigns, let platform behavior dictate format, tone, and length. One-size-fits-all content doesn’t tend to translate well in today’s media landscape. Consider how you can have different storytelling styles that ladder up to the same message.

3) Use entertainment as a delivery system.

Reality TV tropes (think: confessionals, eliminations, finales) weren’t used for novelty in this campaign. They were used to keep people watching long enough to care. Adoption remained the core message, entertainment was simply the hook.

For brands with serious missions, this is a reminder that entertainment doesn’t dilute purpose when used intentionally. It can be the mechanism that makes people stay and act.

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