Pets.com

Pets.com needed to break through the clutter of all the online pet sites with similar names: Petco, Petsmart, pets.com, etc. The brand needed something to turn pet-lovers into brand evangelists, something to convey the crazy unconditional love people have for their pets and that pets have for their people. The Sock Puppet was born. Originally the crazy spokesperson in the commercials, print ads and out-of-home, he became a pop culture phenomena, earning a long-running guest spot on Good Morning America, a running battle with Triumph the Comedy Insult Dog, a balloon in the Macy’s Day Parade, an entire line of merchandise, and even an autobiography that sold out instantly: “Me, by Me”. He gave Pets.com the only real brand icon, and consequently brand identity, of the entire ill-fated dot-com era. A brand that people loved. In the end, the Sock Puppet was their only real saleable asset.