Julianne Moore lies naked on a bed of velvet cushions, her hands around a designer handbag. Under each arm sits a lion cub, protective and fleecy next to Moore's creamy skin. In another, cockatoos perch on her bare shoulders. Three pages away, Madonna plays the seductive housewife, wearing a tight cardigan and keeping busy with domestic chores such as capturing a fugitive chicken. The last thing you see before you turn the page is a faint Dolce & Gabbana label emblazoned across the foot of the advert.

These images form part of a new advertising trend. A herd of animals, from rabbits to dogs and zebras, has broken free and is stomping across the pages of glossy magazines.

This season, the likes of Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger and Carolina Herrera have invited creatures into their fashion folds. Rabbits — playful like Juicy Couture's tight-fitting hipster jeans; dogs on laps — cool but informal like Hilfiger's chinos; and zebras — as eyecatching as the model's metallic dress.

Today, when marketeers have exhausted almost every selling strategy in the book, it seems animals are still effective for promoting the essence of a brand in an unusual way. Exotic, creepy or domestic, they arrest our attention, often far more than a model can do alone — even a naked one. But until now they've been the stars of TV, not print.

Last week Ikea brought out a band of 100 cutesy cats to trundle around its store but back in 2007 we saw the drum-playing gorilla who popped up on behalf of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate during the commercial breaks. And who could forget those charming chimps in dresses making tea for PG Tips?

At WCRS, Churchill's creative advertising agency — as in Churchill insurance, and that nodding dog — they say it's about matching the pet to the brand. “The British public have a fondness for pets and, for a low-interest category such as insurance, the dog gets the brand noticed. He's a lovable, dependable character who gives it a warm, human' voice,” says a spokesperson.

For high-end fashion, grabbing our attention is crucial since the clothing is pricier. Madonna and Moore show this is possible, but in Tom Ford's current ad campaign, for example, a girl models a cutaway top with one shoulder down, one side exposed, as if preparing to breastfeed. Instead of a baby she cradles a crow with its beak around her nipple. Normally you'd turn the page but something makes you take another look.

Juicy Couture's marketing manager says it has always used animals: “[We] have a history of furry friends in ad campaigns, from pastel-coloured Scottie dogs to pink-striped zebras. The bunnies were a whimsical nod to this heritage.”

Animals add an extra dimension to adverts which could otherwise be just another model in yet another outfit. While this week models strut down London Fashion Week catwalks unaided, in the glossies they let the animals do the talking.