From Blue Box to Broadcast News: Chewy is the Answer to Life with Pets
Chewy delivers — in more ways than one. Beyond its flagship delivery service, Chewy provides online and in-person vet care, online animal health resources (PetMD), and a 24/7 live chat.
We got Pet Parents to realize this, using a pet news social series that frames Chewy as the go-to source for accurate pet info.
Chewy is Stuck in a Blue Box.
Strong awareness of Chewy’s flagship delivery service has inadvertently pigeon-holed the brand as a “dog food company”. Most people know Chewy, but aren’t aware of its broader ecosystem of services, expertise, and support.
The brand came to us with the objective to help Pet Parents understand that they can get any question answered by Chewy.
The Modern Pet Parent Problem:
Over the course of a pet’s life, owners face around
3,000 QUESTIONS
Pet Parents are met with an abundance of answers online through social media, forums, and AI tools.
Often, these resources are impersonal, contradictory, and unreliable—causing confusion, frustration, and possible harm to pets.
It wasn’t always this hard to find answers…
There was a time when we had The Most Trusted Man in America.
Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News
What if we made Chewy the most trusted source for all things pet?
Reframing How Chewy Shows Up
Inspired by classic evening news, we decided to remix Chewy’s social content and messaging strategy to transform brand perception from “a place to get pet food” to the go-to destination for trusted pet answers.
PNN (Pet News Network) by Chewy is a news station “by pets for pets” distributed across Chewy’s social platforms.
By featuring real Chewy experts and incorporating PetMD, Chewy Vet Care, and the 24/7 chat, Chewy’s non-food and toy services are front and center.
Introducing PNN: Pet News Network
In just three days, we built all characters, scenes, and props, wrote and produced multiple segments, and prepared our pitch deck for the client.
Live from the Pets’ Point of View
Pet News Network comes to life by leveraging Chewy’s existing film studio space in Plantation, Florida. Using a variety of content types, Chewy easily entertains and educates, all while showing up as the authority for life with pets.
Bite Sized Interviews
Evergreen editorial content from PetMD easily transforms into engaging interview segments with real Chewy vets.
User Comment Response
As a natively social activation, Chewy interacts with Pet Parents by directly answering viewer comments .
Hotline Segment
Callers have their questions answered by the host and a Chewy vet, with a CTA calling back to the 24/7 chat and phone number.
Cultural Coverage
PNN anchors respond to seasonal events and trends in real time, adding relevant pet-specfic tips.
And That’s The Way It Smells
PNN achieves Chewy’s objective through:
Humor
Leverages humor and whimsy to educate and frame Chewy as the go-to source for pet answers
Education
Taps into pet parents’ desire to know the right answers, and leads them to the best solution on Chewy
Participation
Encourages participation and involvement, which deepens customer relationships
When we pitched Pet News Network to Chewy’s creative directors, it landed as fun, unexpected, and strategically smart. The team responded positively to how clearly it tackled the core perception challenge, while still feeling unmistakably, authentically Chewy.
PNN is a Hit!
The team:
Leah Silverman - Art Director
Ben Crispin - Art Director
Greg Patterson - Copywriter
Sam Grigsby - Copywriter
My Role:
Account Management
I organized initial category research and brand problem analysis, managed all client communication and team organization, crafted the pitch narrative, and ensured project alignment from start to finish.
Strategy
I dove into researching how pet parents currently seek out information, uncovering the risk and prevalence of pet misinformation then briefed my team to inspire creative concepts.
Production
Along with creating the props and managing set design, I ensured the design and production of PNN was justified from both a consumer and brand perspective. Choosing to create a puppet show with homemade cardboard props and an un-edited green screen gave the feeling of a pet’s POV, and the DIY nature of using Chewy boxes aligns with current Chewy social posts.
All props were designed by hand in two days!
Puppeteering
I tried my hand (pun intended) at puppeteering, playing/voicing co-anchor Tabby Hissinger and the vet.
