From Shelter to Stardom: The Story Behind the Pets on BISSELL Product Boxes
In a world where packaging can be impersonal, BISSELL takes a unique and heartwarming approach to make each parcel as exciting as the product.
Today, every BISSELL® product box features a rescue pet. These cute pics are eye-catching, but the cats and dogs on our cartons represent our love of pets, from simplifying pet mess cleanup with Pet Proven certified products to supporting the life-saving efforts of BISSELL Pet Foundation® Here’s how our pet photography program got its start, and a behind-the-scenes look at a recent photo shoot with Bessie, an Australian Cattle Dog mix who was rescued by a BISSELL Associate in 2021.
Bringing our pet promise to life
Nearly 20 years ago, BISSELL came up with a creative, visual way to share our brand purpose with anyone shopping for a cleaning device. To showcase our pet promise, we thought outside the box - or in this case - on the box, adding real pets to our packaging.
In 2006, the first BISSELL® product to include a real pet on its packaging was a bagless upright vacuum, which featured the dog of an Associate at our creative agency.
“The marketers and sales team knew this dog, Cider, by name and knew his personality, making sales pitches a breeze,” says Sue Potter, Director – Marketing, who has been with BISSELL for nearly 27 years and was integral to the pet photography program kick-off.
Seeing is believing, and this one photograph helped us launch a packaging revolution, creating a place to showcase real pets from real families who believed in the effectiveness of our products. Soon after, BISSELL decided to exclusively use the pets of our Associates to further illustrate our authentic, companywide love of pets.
Turning the focus to rescue pets
Fast forward to 2011, when BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF) was founded Cathy Bissell as a natural extension of her commitment to animal welfare. Since BPF got its start, the BISSELL company has donated more than $28 million in support of the Foundation’s life-saving efforts, which includes programs such as Empty the Shelters, which makes it easier for rescue pets to find homes.
With the mission of ending pet homelessness now top-of-mind, an important qualification was added to the pet photography program: only rescued animals would be featured on product packaging.
Recently, Associate Hannah Gallagher, BISSELL Senior Social Media Specialist, and her Australian Cattle Dog mix, Bessie, were photographed for a future product launch. In 2018, when Hannah first started at BISSELL as a copywriter, one of her first assignments was writing the pet adoption stories that are used on packaging. “The pet photography program has always held a special place in my heart,” says Hannah. Being in front of the camera with Bessie brought the experience full circle.
“The photo shoot was so much fun!” says Hannah. “Ever since adopting my dog back in 2021, I’ve wanted to get her involved in the pet photography program, but working and living in Vermont made that challenging. I was so happy to be able to plan a trip to Grand Rapids with my dog so we could get her into the studio for her big day.”
Hannah and Bessie posed for dozens of frame-worthy photos and are patiently waiting for their big box debut later this year.
Connecting with pet lovers around the world
The pet photography program has grown into a cherished tradition within BISSELL. There’s a waitlist for Associates and their pets who want to be photographed, and around 80 pets were photographed this year.
“The coolest part of this project, for me, is being able to see the smiles on people’s faces when they get to see these images afterward,” says Nick Panozzo, a content producer who helps capture BISSELL pet photographs. “It creates a really personal feel and it’s so much more than just slapping a picture on a box. These are real people and real pets and real adoption stories that we get to share through this project.”
These authentic stories are also capturing the hearts of our loyal customers across the globe. Social media comments and product reviews frequently praise the inclusion of pets on packaging and the impact of BISSELL Pet Foundation,® which helps us know people love seeing these beloved animals on store shelves. It also reaffirms that people understand our love of pets goes well beyond a cute picture: incorporating these elements spotlights our commitment to cleaning up real pet messes and raises awareness for pet rescue and adoption.