Pity the poor pooch without his or her own Bobo.
If one wants to be trendy, dogs must keep up, too.
Though we are warned about letting kids watch too many TV commercials, because they clamor for the toys, beware if your dog watches the tube. If they see the Bobo commercial from PetSmart, they’ll want to wag their tails straight to the store.
PetSmart created a stir in the checkout line last year with a TV commercial about a little dachshund who ruins his first stuffed Bobo. His mother throws it away, then takes her dog to PetSmart, where the pooch buys another Bobo.
It’s darn cute. If you haven’t seen the commercial, check it out at www.youtube.com on the Internet or keep an eye out – the spot is still running on television.
Barney Ostant has a small, pink version of Bobo and a larger yellow model. The 2-year-old dachshund picked it out himself at the pet store.
The dog got a birthday card from PetSmart with a free toy coupon. He went shopping with his folks, Ken and Sharon Ostant of Everett, and as usual, barked to announce himself when he entered the store on his four stubby legs.
The pint-sized miniature dachshund spotted the Bobo stuffed squeaky toy and wouldn’t let go.
“The clerk said the Bobo looks just like the commercial,” Ken Ostant said. “Barney loves it.”
The commercial has been a great campaign, said Michelle Friedman, brand communications manager at PetSmart.
“Sales of Bobo have increased 500 percent during the commercial’s run,” Friedman said. “The reception has been so positive we plan to keep running it.”
The commercial launched as the store went from Petsmart to PetSmart, emphasis on the “smart.”
“The concept of the commercial wasn’t focused on the Bobo toy per say,” she said, “But more on our knowledgeable associates, who can find the perfect product for pets.”
The film crew went up and down the aisle of the store and found a Bobo. They thought it was perfect, Friedman said.
The rest is toy history, she said, based on the appeal of the Bobo and some good luck.
One can find the toy at different pet shops. At Jones &Co. Pets in Marysville, owner Ray Jones, who attended Shoreline High School with me, said the stuffed Bobo is very popular.
“We’ve had them for a long time,” Jones said. “We get them from a manufacturer, in three sizes.”
He said the commercial has helped sales, but dogs love them because of the shape and texture.
Barney loves his two Bobos. What Barney the dog doesn’t like is baths, the neighborhood squirrels and wearing a coat outside. He loves rides in the family motorhome, his sister dog, Elly, hiding toys under the couch, and scooting beneath the coffee table where he constantly bonks his precious little head.
Sharon Ostant, who is editor of Senior Source newspaper with Senior Services of Snohomish County, said dachshunds don’t like water.
“But Barney loves to swim,” Sharon Ostant said. “He loves to dig in the sand.”
And the Ostants’ dachshunds do watch TV.
“Barney watches the Bobo commercial,” Ken Ostant said. “And the Animal Planet channel all the time.”
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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