As workers return to offices in the wake of pandemic, the question remains of what to do about all those new pets that have become faithful WFH companions. Mars Petcare dog food Cesar has a solution.

The brand is on a mission to make workplaces more dog friendly—and it's doing so with an unconventional "recruitment" campaign to get dogs "hired" at various companies. 

Its new campaign from BBDO New York, called "Hire My Dog," features social videos of dogs appearing in real virtual interviews for jobs. 

The agency had set up interviews with various firms, including a branding agency, a stationery company and an HVAC repair shop, surprising the recruiters at each with unexpected canine "applicants." 

The effort also includes a "Hire My Dog" website offering tips and resources for companies to make their workplace more pet-friendly. A "Pets at Work" toolkit provides a sample pet policy, pet amenities considerations and tips for pet-friendly design—those include lease attachments at desks, water stations and relief areas. The site also offers suggestions on flooring, decor and soundproofing to reduce the impact of "playful or barking dogs."

On pet owners' end, the campaign offers a tool that lets people create resumes for their pooch. People can then share the resume on social media and enter a contest that will let one person win a day at a special dog-friendly space, or "Pup-Up Workspace," in their hometown or office.

The whole point, according to Cesar, is to encourage more employers to transition to offering dog-friendly workplaces.

The brand says the campaign comes on the back of research it's carried out into how dogs can benefit employees, and therefore their employers. For example, the most common benefits that pet parents believe that dogs at work can offer include boosting happiness (58%) and relieving anxiety or stress (57%). And more than half of dog owners feel bringing their dog to work would encourage them to take breaks (55%) and would foster more social interaction in the workplace (52%).

 

"Dogs deserve to be welcomed everywhere, and we know that pet-friendly workplaces can help boost employee morale, increase productivity and improve culture," said Vice President of Marketing for Mars Pet Nutrition North America Jean-Paul Jansen, in a statement. "The Cesar brand is all about shared moments between dogs and their pet parents. Our dogs are our best friends, and now, we're taking that to the next level and making it our true purpose to create a more dog-friendly world for pet parents and pet lovers everywhere."