Inspiration
Many people have a desire to help animals in need, but finding the time or resources to do so often proves difficult. To make helping easier, Pedigree took the one thing it had in abundance – dog adoption stories submitted by real people – and turned them into a way to help.
Strategy
For the past two years, the Pedigree Adoption Drive has supported dog adoption while contributing to improving the lives of shelter dogs. Moving into its third year, the Mars brand wanted to expand its focus to show people that they have the power to make a real difference in the life of a shelter dog, while incorporating a donation mechanism to reach their $50,000 consumer-driven donation goal.
Execution
Working with Proximity Canada, Pedigree used a simple, engaging animation style, voiced by Kurt Browning, to tell the true stories of five adopted shelter dogs. For every view that “Adoption Tales” got, Pedigree donated $1 to partner shelters across Canada.
Few things are easier than watching a video online, so attaching the donation mechanism to the videos made sense for Pedigree. The videos became immediately shareable, further increasing their views and introducing the Pedigree Adoption Drive to audiences not normally reached through traditional Pedigree channels.
Results
Shortly after launch, Pedigree had already almost hit its goal of 50,000 views and $50,000 donated. Since the launch more than 275,000 visitors have spent an average of 10 minutes on the site.
Consumers picked up the videos immediately, spreading them across Facebook, Twitter, the blogosphere and beyond. For Pedigree, this campaign and creative was unlike any they had run before, and the speed at
which they reached their donation goal was unlike any they’d seen before as well.
Judges’ Comments
“Great extension of brand relevance to an important cause. This is the bull’s eye of the emotional space of the brand and their consumer. I love the use of authentic stories to strengthen the connection to supporting shelter dog adoption.”
Dino Bianco, Kraft Canada
“What a refreshing way to look at how storytelling can help bring a campaign to life. It’s a great way to empower your target market to share their thoughts, experiences and ultimately drive growth within the business.”
James Temple, PricewaterhouseCoopers
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