The idea came straight from the BONKERS community. Pet owners kept sending in videos of their pets mid-zoomie, or proudly gnawing through treat bags to get their BONKERS fix. So BONKERS ran with it (literally), and turned that real pet behavior into a campaign that sounds the alarm on The BONKERS Effect.
What award did BONKERS win at the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards?
BONKERS won Best Branded Content Series - B2C at the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards for The BONKERS Effect. Digiday announced the winners on June 30, 2026, across 32 categories, crediting the series to Rhodes Pet Science and This January. Other 2026 winners included the NFL, Verizon, NBCUniversal and Adobe.
You can see the full list in Digiday's announcement of the 2026 Content Marketing Awards winners. The Best Branded Content Series category rewards ongoing, episodic content rather than a single ad, which reflects how The BONKERS Effect carries one story across commercials and an ongoing social series.
Who created The BONKERS Effect?
The BONKERS Effect was created by Rhodes Pet Science, the company behind BONKERS pet treats, with agency partner This January. Internet musician iAmMoshow, known online as "The Cat Rapper", joined as a creator partner, and the campaign itself grew out of pet owners' own videos of their pets going BONKERS for the treats.
How does The BONKERS Effect work?
The BONKERS Effect works like a public service announcement for a made-up condition: a powerful, treat-induced case of the zoomies. Every piece reports on the same global "outbreak", so each format adds to the story and keeps BONKERS at the center.
The campaign is made up of four parts:
- Commercials: 6, 15 and 30-second spots across digital and connected TV (CTV), sounding the alarm on the outbreak in a tongue-in-cheek news style.
- Social series: Episodic content that keeps the story going on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, led by Paw & Order.
- The Cat Rap: A music-led piece with creator iAmMoshow, built for meme and remix culture.
- Community content: Pet owners' own videos of zoomies and treat-bag break-ins, plus duets and stitches, made for how people actually use TikTok and Instagram.
What is Paw & Order?
Paw & Order is the episodic courtroom parody in The BONKERS Effect social series. Each episode puts pets on trial, presents their chaotic antics as evidence and moves the story forward, inviting viewers to react and join in. The mini-series earned more than 20 million impressions, according to BONKERS campaign data.
Who is iAmMoshow?
iAmMoshow is an internet musician who describes himself as "The Cat Rapper", according to Clio's Muse. His partnership with BONKERS took the series into music, meme and remix culture, including the BONKERS Effect Cat Rap.
Why did BONKERS build a series instead of a one-off ad?
BONKERS built a series because a single viral moment fades, but a story people follow keeps earning attention. As a challenger brand competing against legacy pet treat brands with bigger media budgets, BONKERS needed content that could win attention on its merits, not on spend.
An episodic, participatory format solved two problems at once. It made the brand stand out in a category full of polished, product-led ads. And it gave audiences, creators and the BONKERS community a reason to keep coming back and keep contributing, so the series could grow over time instead of peaking at launch.
How did The BONKERS Effect perform?
The BONKERS Effect delivered more than 69 million total campaign impressions across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and connected TV, according to BONKERS campaign data. The hero films earned more than 37.5 million impressions, Paw & Order more than 20 million and the Cat Rap more than 11 million, with fans reposting content beyond paid media.
- Total campaign, all platforms: 69M+ impressions
- The BONKERS Effect hero assets: 37.5M+ impressions
- Paw & Order mini-series: 20M+ impressions
- BONKERS Effect Cat Rap: 11M+ impressions
- Broader iAmMoshow x BONKERS collaborations: 80M+ impressions
Source: BONKERS campaign data, as submitted to the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards. The iAmMoshow figure covers all BONKERS collaborations with the creator, not only The BONKERS Effect.
Beyond the numbers, the series drove widespread community participation through duets, stitches and response videos.
Frequently asked questions
What is The BONKERS Effect?
The BONKERS Effect is the hero brand campaign for BONKERS pet treats. It playfully reports on a global "outbreak" of treat-induced zoomies, inspired by real community videos, and won Best Branded Content Series - B2C at the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards.
Did BONKERS win a Digiday award?
Yes. The BONKERS Effect, credited to Rhodes Pet Science and This January, won Best Branded Content Series - B2C at the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards, announced on June 30, 2026.
Who makes BONKERS pet treats?
BONKERS pet treats are made by Rhodes Pet Science.
Which agency worked on The BONKERS Effect?
Rhodes Pet Science created The BONKERS Effect with agency partner This January.
Where did The BONKERS Effect run?
The commercials ran across digital and connected TV (CTV), and the social series ran on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with community content made as duets, stitches and user-submitted pet videos.
Where can I watch The BONKERS Effect?
Watch the Cat Hero film on YouTube.
