There's no better way to make a splash in marketing than by including a dog in a commercial! Ages ago, ad executives realized that humor was a great way to raise brand awareness and leave a lasting impact, and dogs always bring laughs.
There are nearly 60 million households in the United States with dogs. That means almost 60 million families can relate to all the wacky things canines do!
There's no shortage of funny dog commercials in advertising history. However, we've compiled a list of 10 of the most amusing that will give you a good chuckle.
1. "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!" - Taco Bell (1997)
If you were around in the late '90s and early 2000s, this is one fast-food mascot you can't forget. In 1997, Taco Bell released its first commercial featuring Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua. This advert started a cultural phenomenon!
The premise is simple. You see Gidget chasing after what you think is a canine love interest. However, he eventually makes his way to a man chowing down on a Taco Bell taco before uttering his signature phrase.
Taco Bell would continue to release similar commercials for many years, turning the beloved Chihuahua into a much-loved commercial icon.
2. "It's Bacon!" - Beggin' Strips (1989)
The Beggin' Strips brand of dog treats knows how to make a funny commercial! Even today, the company continues releasing ads featuring its frantic, talking dogs who can't get enough bacon-flavored treats.
This commercial was one of the earliest. It features a dog getting a whiff of the treat before excitedly running through the house.
We see a POV of the dog's perspective and hear a funny voiceover. While we never know what's going on in our pups' heads, this commercial offered a great glimpse at the excitement tasty treats can drum up.
3. "Dog Tested, Dog Approved" - Subaru (2012)
Seeing dogs act like humans is always a recipe for success in commercials. Subaru hit it out of the park with this 2012 advertisement. It doesn't feature a single human or any voiceovers. Instead, the stars of the ad are rambunctious dogs on a ski trip.
We see pups sitting behind the wheel driving the Subaru, whizzing down the slopes in skis and making snow angels. Despite the lack of humans, this ad does a fantastic job of appealing to dog owners.
4. "Kitchen Rumble" - Wall's Sausages (2004)
Here's a funny commercial from the U.K. It's for Wall's Sausages. While outlandish by design, the story of this advert is something every dog owner can relate to!
After preparing the tasty sausages, the family's dog goes on a rampage to get a taste! The dog participates in an all-out brawl with the family's patriarch.
While there are some shots of a real pup, most of the action involves a lifelike puppet. Nonetheless, it's the perfect blend of ridiculous and funny.
5. "Dog Dreams" - Doritos (2015)
Many companies debut their wackiest commercials during the Super Bowl. Here's a great example from 2015. The commercial is for Doritos chips and features an adorable dog floating in midair as if in the middle of a slow-motion recap during a sports game.
The commercial flashes to the dog's perspective, showing it dreaming about soaring through the air behind a Doritos truck as it spills chips on the highway. We can only hope that dog dreams are as out-of-the-box as this commercial suggests!
6. "Dog Butt. Sweet Sweet Dog Butt." - BarkBox (2014)
While some commercials appeal to dog owners, this crazy ad from BarkBox is for the furry friends watching TV next to them! The ad is for a company that offers subscription boxes full of toys and treats.
While a voiceover provides all the information an owner needs to learn about the brand, the visuals are a little wackier. The commercial is nothing more than a lingering shot of a dog's butt! The voiceover then says that because the company can't teleport a box to your living room, they'll provide an image that every dog loves.
It's a cute, albeit odd, approach to marketing that leans into some of the strange behaviors we see from our canine companions. It's simple, but it's also very memorable.
7. "The Bark Side" - Volkswagen (2012)
Fans of "Star Wars" rejoice! This ad comes to us from Volkswagen. It's a unique commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in 2012 to tease the launch of an upcoming model.
The advert doesn't feature the teased vehicle at all. Instead, it has a troupe of dogs dressed as several iconic "Star Wars" characters as they bark to the tune of "The Imperial March."
It's an unlikely combo to mix Volkswagen, "Star Wars" and dogs. However, it was a huge hit that dog lovers and fanatics loved.
8. "Weiner Stampede" - Heinz (2016)
Here's another example of out-of-the-box advertising concepts working surprisingly well to create something memorable for the Super Bowl.
You have adorable little Dachshund dogs dressed in hotdog garb, humans dressed in Heinz sauce bottles and "Without You" by Harry Nilsson playing in the background. What more could you want?
This commercial epitomizes weird, but there's something hilarious about seeing a hoard of weiner dogs frolicking through a field in slow motion!
9. "Pets Aren't Just Pets, They're More: Best Friend" - Chewy (2023)
Let's be honest: Who hasn't pretended to have perfectly normal conversations with their dog? It's one of those things that dog owners do in private, but this commercial from Chewy puts that fantasy on full display.
This simple commercial features a dog owner lounging in the living room while a pup sits on the couch propped up on the armrest. The two have a silly conversation about nothing, much like you would do with your best friend.
Anthromorphic dogs speaking like humans? Sign us up!
10. "Good Boy" - Discover Credit Scorecard (2017)
Dog owners are so used to speaking with their canine companions that they often forget it's not always appropriate in every situation.
Case in point: Calling a credit card provider to inquire about a new card! In this commercial, a dog owner is on the phone with a representative as he plays fetch with an adorable pup.
As he responds to his dog's actions with praise like "Good Boy," the phone rep mistakenly thinks the phrases are for him. It's an awkward exchange that can feel too familiar to happy dog parents who've been in similar situations.
Which Canine Commercial Stars Do You Remember?
These ten commercials don't even scratch the surface of advertisements featuring dogs over the years. There are too many to discuss. From credit services and banks to dog treats and human food products, you can find dogs featured in countless commercials throughout television and streaming history.
While not all are hits like the ten mentioned above, there's no denying that seeing dogs on your screen makes watching ads a bit more bearable!
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