Hoffman York Goes to the Dogs
July 2019
As a marketing communications agency, our goal is to inspire people to embrace the brands we promote. So when it came to our client Wahl, we thought we’d take our own advice. Wahl makes a full line of dog grooming products, so what better way to celebrate these canine companions than to throw the ultimate party for our employees’ dogs while helping our employees learn how to groom their own pets at home? And when better to do this than Take Your Dog to Work Day? Exactly.
Our Milwaukee office welcomed 15 dogs ranging from Chihuahuas to Golden Doodles, purebreds to mutts, and puppies to seniors for a day of work and play. But we did more than give them a new place to roam—we also made them stars.
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To get the tennis ball rolling, we took to social media with four of HY’s K-9s (Albus, Callie, Koda and Murray) wearing special GoPro harnesses. These pups were given the opportunity to explore our 19,000 square-foot space. Facebook fans saw the office from a pooch’s perspective as we shared these videos live on our Facebook page. The doggie live stream has garnered nearly 5,000 views. Check it out by clicking here.
Next, we sat pretty and had a hot dog lunch where we definitely, absolutely didn’t feed the pups table scraps when nobody was looking. Our remaining hot dogs were added to our week-long donation drive for The Wisconsin Humane Society that generated three massive boxes of donations for homeless pets in need. We also learned that 56 percent of HY employees with pets adopted one or both through a shelter or rescue.
To help educate employees on at-home grooming, we welcomed Mary Kilpatrick from Community Bark. This local groomer gave us a rundown on different brushes and coat types, ear cleaning, tooth brushing and of course bathing and coat care using Wahl products. She even used some of HY’s pups for the demonstrations and they were very cooperative… with proper treat compensation.
Hoffman York’s first-floor conference rooms were transformed into doggie daycare allowing pet parents to attend their meetings and get work done. The dogs didn’t complain and had a blast romping and chasing one another. With signage in the windows to promote the event, we attracted the attention of many passing pedestrians who stopped to take a peek inside and see HY’s pups.
Take Your Dog to Work Day was started by Pet Sitters International (PSI), a network of pet sitters. The goal was to encourage co-workers who do not own a dog to consider adopting one based on the experience with the office animals. Around 38 percent of HY employees do not own a pet. And now, nearly half (46 percent) of the petless HYers would consider adopting a new furry family member in the next year. Take Your Dog to Work Day occurs the Friday after Father’s Day each year and just celebrated its 20th year.
This was HY’s first Take Your Dog to Work Day. What took us so long to jump on the trend of pets in the workplace? Previously, our office was a highrise office building–no pets allowed. Now, approaching our second year in The Hoffman York Building, we’re able to let the office go to the dogs as we like. And trust us, the dogs might just be back sooner than you think.