Thanks a million, or in the case of one dog owner, Six Million. That’s how much one dog owner spent to say thank you in a 30 second Superbowl ad.
After a dog owner’s pet named Scout was diagnosed with a life-threatening rare cancer, David MacNeil wanted to thank the veterinary school who saved his dog. He also thought it would be a fantastic time to share his story in an effort to raise funds for further research. He thought, why not take to the biggest stage during the biggest viewing audience event of the year. So, the dog owner purchased a Superbowl ad to say thank you.
Thanks a million, or in the case of one dog owner, Six Million. That’s how much one dog owner spent to say thank you in a 30 second Superbowl ad.
After a dog owner’s pet named Scout was diagnosed with a life-threatening rare cancer, David MacNeil wanted to thank the veterinary school who saved his dog. He also thought it would be a fantastic time to share his story in an effort to raise funds for further research. He thought, why not take to the biggest stage during the biggest viewing audience event of the year. So, the dog owner purchased a Superbowl ad to say thank you.
During the summer of 2019, MacNeil took his 7-year old dog to the vet only to be told that his dog, Scout, had developed an extremely aggressive cancer that was damaging his blood vessel walls. He was diagnosed with having a tumor on his heart. The prognosis was grim giving Scout only a one percent chance to survive. The dog was given only about one month to live.
MacNeil was extremely saddened by his options but did not have the heart to put down his otherwise happy and healthy dog. Instead, he sought the help of UWM, the University of Wisconsin-Madison where Scout the dog was treated with immediate radiation and chemotherapy. After one month, the time frame Scout had originally been given to live, his tumor had shrunk by 78 percent. A short while later, It shrunk to 90 percent and is today almost completely gone.
To thank these skilled UWM experts, the dog owner chose to purchase a 30-second advertisement during the costliest advertising event of the year. The Superbowl ad aired during the second quarter of the game that took place on February 2, 2020. MacNeil paid for the ad as a sponsorship through the company WeatherTech which is a floor care company that he owns.
WeatherTech, sponsored the ad that he titled “Lucky Dog”. The $6 Million ad told the story of Scout’s dreadful diagnosis and subsequent thank you for his recovery. The ad shows Scout playing happily on a beach and then walking the halls of the Wisconsin veterinary school lined with the experts who helped to save his life. It voices over as if the dog is speaking telling the viewers what a lucky dog he is. It goes on to explain that he isn’t lucky because he found a stick but because he is a cancer survivor.
The commercial ends with a call for viewers to donate to cancer research expressing how pets make a difference in our lives, and now we have a chance to make a difference in theirs. It’s the dog owner’s hope that the ad will raise awareness and finances to fund the research and treatments like those that saved Scout’s life through the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. He also hopes the donations will serve to find the necessary information to go toward human treatment as well.