PetSmart to offer an array of pet products featuring The Secret Life of Pets characters

• PetSmart, Illumination Creative Marketing and NBCUniversal Brand Development
• Team Up to Bring the Movie to Life through an Exclusive Pet Line, Multi-Channel Shopping Experience and Two Custom Animated TV Spots Featuring the Music of The Rolling Stones

PHOENIX and Universal City, CA, 2016-Jun-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Max, Duke, Gidget, Chloe, Mel and Buddy, the stars of the comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day, are taking over PetSmart to celebrate the release of lllumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures’ The Secret Life of Pets, coming to theatres July 8.

As the exclusive pet-specialty retailer for the film, PetSmart will offer an array of toy, apparel and pet bed products. Together with Illumination Creative Marketing and NBCUniversal Brand Development, PetSmart has created an innovative multi-channel shopping experience featuring the characters. As part of this partnership, pets from the movie will “take over” PetSmart stores, petsmart.com, social media and other digital channels in fun and engaging ways.

“We love pets and we know they make us better people – but what pet parent doesn’t wonder what their pets do when they’re not at home with them?” said Eran Cohen, Chief Customer Experience Officer, PetSmart. “We are excited to see this idea come to life on the big screen and are thrilled to be the exclusive pet specialty partner for this fun, pet-centric film. All our pets have such unique personalities, and we know families everywhere will enjoy seeing this movie and recognizing similar traits of the characters in their own pets.”

“We, and our filmmaking partners at Illumination, are thrilled to collaborate with PetSmart, the largest specialty pet retailer in North America, to offer consumers a pet product line that captures the unique personalities of The Secret Life of Pets loveable characters,” said Manuel Torres, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Consumer Products. “PetSmart’s ‘store takeover’ and innovative multi-channel shopping experience extends the adventure further by engaging consumers to explore their own pets ‘secret lives,’ with activities and film-inspired merchandise.”

A Movie to Celebrate: Contests, Toys, Apparel, Beds, Treats and Services

The exclusive new collection is available online and in stores now with movie-inspired toys, beds, collars and apparel. PetSmart worked directly with the Illumination Entertainment filmmakers and Creative Marketing team to ensure the products capture each character’s unique personality, as well as the iconic scenes from the movie.

The collection includes pet apparel such as the Gidget ruffle-skirted dress, character hoodies and slogan tees featuring Max and Duke with sayings likeDo I Smell Sausage?; Fetch Like you Mean It; and Every Dog Has His Day. Pets are sure to love the array of plush and rope squeaker toys featuring all the characters, and with cat and dog beds featuring Gidget and Duke, pets can literally snuggle up these characters.

For a limited time, PetSmart will also carry the unique The Secret Life of Petspackages of Milk-Bone® and Pup-Peroni® dog treats. From June 6 – 22, PetSmart will also run a “Share Your Pets’ Funniest Secret” video contest on YouTube, where 30-second videos featuring funny pet secrets will be posted by contestants and PetSmart will narrow the candidates for a majority vote conducted June 27-July 5. The grand prize winner will win a $500 PetSmart gift card; runners up $250 gift cards.
PetSmart Grooming Salons will offer a new Top Dog Spaw™ service*, complete with coconut-infused shampoo, moisturizing coconut balm paw massage and an exclusive The Secret Life of Pets bandana. And, in keeping with the theme of the movie, what better way for pets to get in on the action than by sending them to Doggie Day Camp! Through July 31, new customers to Doggie Day Camp will receive 50% off their first session*.

The exclusive, custom animation TV ads of the characters’ takeover of PetSmart stores will start airing June 13.

About The Secret Life of Pets
For their fifth fully animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day.

Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts in The Secret Life of Pets, which co-stars Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan and Albert Brooks.  Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy produce the film directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2), co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch. www.thesecretlifeofpets.com

About PetSmart®
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate approximately 1,450 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 202 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – includingPetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year. In addition, PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich people’s lives—we live it.

About NBCUniversal Brand Development
NBCUniversal Brand Development (NBCUBD) drives expansion of the company’s intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, kids and family content, and consumer experiences globally. Along with franchise brand management, NBCUBD includes three lines of business: NBCUniversal Consumer Products, Universal Kids & Family Productions, and NBCUniversal Games and Digital Products. NBCUniversal Brand Development is a business segment of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

About Illumination Entertainmen
lllumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of event animated films. Illumination, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, is the creator of the hugely successful DESPICABLE ME franchise, which includes MINIONS, the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time as well as DESPICABLE ME 2, an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature of 2013. In all, Illumination’s films, which also include 2011’s HOP and 2012’s Dr. Seuss’ THE LORAX, have grossed more than $3.2 billion in worldwide box-office revenues and feature some of the world’s most renowned talent. Upcoming films, in addition to THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS include SING, which arrives in theaters in December 2016, starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly; DESPICABLE ME 3, starring Steve Carell and Trey Parker which is set for June 2017; and a newly-imagined version of Dr. Seuss’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role of The Grinch , that is set for November 2017. In addition, Minion Rush (800 million downloads) has become one of the world’s most popular apps, and Minion Mayhem attracts huge crowds at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

*All services are subject to availability. Must show proof of vaccinations for Doggie Day Camp. For the safety of all animals and associates, and at the discretion of PetSmart, some pets may not be permitted.

Contacts:

Angela Emery
NBCUniversal Brand Development
818-777-8922
angela.emery@nbcuni.com