55 Dogs Followed the Scent to Petco's NYC Concept Store

Fido's got the scent! What do you smell, a brand activation? Good boy!

On Oct. 28 in NYC's SoHo neighborhood, Petco opened a flagship concept store for Reddy, its premium line of collars, leashes and other products for dogs. To hype the launch, Droga5 lined a mile-long stretch of pavement with scented paw-print decals designed to delight mutts' muzzles. The trail led from Washington Square Park to Reddy's storefront at 125 Prince St.

The markers oozed an aroma of duck, quail and pheasant to activate the pooches' natural tracking instincts. (New York sidewalks usually smell much worse.)

All told, 55 bowsers and their owners took part. Lots of sniffing ensued. Some scratching, too. Mostly from the dogs. Check out the canine cuteness of this "scent-story experience" below:

One of those pugs could be a sheep in disguise! You just never know these days. (And where's Walter? He'd love this stuff so much!)

"In our daily lives, our dogs don't typically get to flex their amazing sense of smell—we tend to hurry them along for walks with the goal of exercise," says agency creative director Tom McQueen. "But a dog navigates the world with its nose, much like humans do with their eyes. So, what better way to alert the local neighborhood doggos, and their parents, to this store opening than appealing straight to the senses?"

The work represents an extension of recent efforts by Droga5 to emphasize various health and wellness aspects of the Petco brand. Such ads cast people as dogs and cats. A recent outing explored how owners returning to work amid easing pandemic restrictions can impact pets' well-being.

Elsewhere, olfactory campaigns intended to tickle human nose abound. Some highlights include lockdown candles that smell like places we miss, a perfume made from trash, and a fragrance inspired by the liberal essence of Bernie Sanders.