CEO Buys $6M Super Bowl Ad to Thank Vet School That Saved His Dog’s Life
The CEO of a car accessories company is thanking the veterinary school that saved his dog’s life by taking out a $6 million Super Bowl ad in their honor. WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil lives in Illinois, but took his 7-year-old golden retriever, Scout, to the University of Wisconsin veterinary school after the dog collapsed thanks to a tumor on his heart and a local vet said he would need to be put down. MacNeil says he thought, “I’m not putting that dog down. There’s just absolutely no way.” After Scout received several aggressive forms of cancer therapy at UW, MacNeil says, “That tumor is virtually gone.”
Scout will now star in WeatherTech’s Super Bowl spot, which opens with a narrator saying, “Hi, I’m Scout and I’m a lucky dog…I had a tumor on my heart and only a 1 percent chance of survival. I’m alive thanks to a cutting-edge program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.” The commercial ends with a plea to donate to the school via the WeatherTech website. Adds MacNeil, “I hope it has a positive impact on cancer in animals and people all over the world.”