Puppies. They're like nature's Xanax.
In "Hearts Aligned," a sweet new Australian campaign from pet food Pedigree, agency Clemenger BBDO ran an experiment that measured the heart rates of dogs and their owners, both separated and together.
The video below captures the results, which are unsurprising to anyone who's ever unwound with a pooch in his or her lap: Humans and canines are calmer in each other's company. What's less obvious, and harder to believe, is that their heart rates seem to sync up.
Sweeping conclusions aside, the clip is also full of touching personal, emotional moments explaining why the dogs matter so much to their owners: A deaf woman takes cues about her surroundings from her pet; a man who suffered a construction injury finds a way to reduce his anxiety and depression; and a teenage girl, mourning the loss of her family's previous dog, finally succumbs to the relentless charms of their new one.
The basic strategy is solid, if familiar. Last year, U.K. animal shelter Battersea made a similar argument—minus heart monitors—with an ad about pets who saved their humans.
Pedigree's campaign launched Down Under in late April, but BBDO is promoting it in America now, in observance of National Pet Week.