Dog owner's $6M Super Bowl ad thanks veterinarians for saving his pet
Scout's cancerous tumor shrank by 78%
Million-dollar Super Bowl ads aren’t just for big brands. They’re for little dogs, too.
When the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s veterinary school saved Scout’s life, owner David MacNeil thanked it in a major way: He landed them a spot in the big game.
The cost: $6 million, nearly $500,000 more than the average price this year.
The 30-second commercial, funded by MacNeil’s company WeatherTech, features the 7-year-old golden retriever at UW-Madison, strolling alongside the real-life pet doctors who saved his life. It will air during the second quarter, according to People.
“Hi, I’m Scout and I’m a lucky dog,” a voiceover says in the ad. “And it’s not just because I found a cool stick … it’s that I’m a cancer survivor, had a tumor on my heart and only a 1 percent chance of survival. Their research has the potential to save millions of pets. Pets make a difference in your life. You can make a difference in theirs.”
According to a university statement, MacNeil lost three previous dogs to cancer before an ultrasound found a tumor on Scout’s heart. After receiving treatment at UW over the summer, however, Scout’s tumor shrank by 78 percent and is virtually undetectable.
At the end of the ad, viewers are encouraged to donate to the university’s cancer research efforts.
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“Scout’s illness devastated us,” MacNeil, chief executive officer at home and pet care company WeatherTech, said in the statement. “We wanted this year’s Super Bowl effort to not only raise awareness, but also financial support for the research and treatments happening at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine."
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"We wanted to use the biggest stage possible to highlight Scout’s story and these breakthroughs, which are not limited to helping dogs. This research will help advance cancer treatments for humans as well.”