Drew Barrymore + Ring Doorbells = $500k for the ASPCA

You could be having the worst day of your life.

And then bam, mid-scroll hole, one of those videos pops up of someone’s pet doing something mad cute, dumb, or both, on the home security system.

Depression, cured.

Well, apparently there’s now a whole campaign based around those to make your life one million times better.

AND, it features Drew Barrymore. Double whammy.

From the company that brought you Instagram’s funniest home videos...

Ring, the inventors of the video doorbell, now bring us a heart-warming campaign. And with it, a mission to donate $500,000 to help shelter animals find loving homes.

The ad features Drew Barrymore and her dog, Douglas. It shows them on a date at a fancy restaurant while she explains the campaign and how those with pets can participate. Drew tells her pup that he is ineligible for the competition, since he is a 'nepo puppy.'

Jeremy, her bearded dragon also lands a cameo. The ad ends with a dramatic exit from Douglas when the star accidentally calls another dog 'the cutest in the world.' Awkward.

So what's the actual campaign?

For every pet video or photo that’s submitted before 14 June with the hashtag #RingPets on Instagram or TikTok, Ring will pledge a $10 donation. Ring will donate up to $100,000 to the ASPCA. They'll also donate up to an additional $400,000 to local animal shelters across the U.S.

This is genius because it utilises the one thing all pet owners have and want to share – thousands of pictures of their animals. It’s already become an adorable collection of submitted videos, as shown by AdAge.

Drew Barrymore was the perfect person to help pull off this campaign.

After all, she's a well-known pet mother of seven. Her dog, Dougie, is a rescue, so pet rescue is clearly a cause she's passionate about.

'It was absolutely love at first sight for all seven of my pets that fill my home with so much joy and a little dose of chaos from time to time,' Barrymore said in a statement.

'I’m honored to join Ring on this important mission, celebrate the special bonds and pride pet parents have for their animals, and help generate donations to the ASPCA and local animal shelters.'

Hot tips for my hot marketers reading this:

• Engage user-generated content. Creating a campaign centred around easy-to-create content is a sure-fire way to foster engagement.

• Make people laugh. Making your campaign around something fun is a great way to get people engaged.

• Align with a cause. Linking your campaign to a good cause can boost its appeal and encourage participation.

-Sophie, Copywriter