Local Toronto pet store chain Timmie Pet Supplies has taken a proactive, city-wide approach to its advertising with the launch of a recent campaign that’s also trying to correct a bad habit that’s growing around the city.
The Timmie Pet Supplies team has posted “Found Poop” signs all over Toronto that offer a friendly reminder to dog owners to pick up after their pet, offering a free poop bag in case the owner has left one at home. The creative spark for the campaign, that mimics lost and found posters, comes from Timmie Pet Supplies co-founder and owner Paul Ryu noticing more and more dog poop being left around the city in recent years.
“All of us, we may not pick up once or twice here or there, that could be what it is. Also, there’s so many more dog owners since the pandemic. So maybe we’re seeing more and more from the sheer volume of people,” Ryu says. “We want to point this (problem) out in a fun way.”
Because the COVID-19 pandemic led to many new and inexperienced pet owners, Ryu thought his store could provide a helping hand, while boosting the profile of its store. The campaign was designed to reach out to pet owners about the situation in an empathetic and fun way.
The posters were put up around Toronto earlier this spring, and the plan is to continue posting the “Found” posters around the city. The goal is for people to share the posters on social media platforms like Instagram.
“We like to push the boundaries. We’re not a corporate company,” Ryu says. “We’re all about getting people’s attention in a fun way.”
The campaign is also on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. But the main platform for the ad will be posters in visible spots around Toronto.
“We’re a small mom and pop, and we can’t afford to (poster) in the subway and things like that at the moment. So it’s good guerrilla marketing that we can control financially,” Ryu says.
The creative behind the campaign was handled by BLKW, the new agency launched last year by veteran marketing executive Wain Choi.
