A new petfood commercial recently aired in the UK featuring high-pitched tones that only dogs can hear, which the petfood company hopes will make dogs bark and make pet owners pay attention to the dog food product being advertised.
The commercial, by Nestle Purina's Bakers pet food brand, airs tones above 18,000 Hz that are inaudible to humans, but sound like a dog whistle to dogs. The minute-long commercial also includes normal tones that humans can hear as well, such as whistling, barking and bell ringing.
"With these special sounds we hope this delivers enjoyment for both dogs and their owners," said Mark Zaki, brand manager for Bakers.
Bakers tested the advertisement by playing it to 12 dogs that were distracted by a toy, and researchers found that all 12 of the dogs reacted to the commercial's high-pitched tones, according to a report.
2 top trends for 2021 according to the pet food industry
New shelter data casts doubt on whether the pet population and pet ownership are truly growing.
Shelter pet adoption numbers down in 2020, but high rate
While the pandemic caused unprecedented suffering worldwide in 2020, the disruptions to dogs, cats and other pets adoption numbers may normalize in 2021.