Dog Adoption Drive

North America — Over the years, Pedigree has done an exceptional job of staying true to its brand promise, that everything we do is for the love of dogs. A large part of that promise has been Pedigree's and TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles' prevailing Adoption Drive campaign. Now in its fourth year, the Adoption Drive is a multi-million dollar, cause-related awareness and fundraising campaign that rallies dog lovers to help millions of homeless dogs that end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations throughout the world.

This year, in effort to further raise awareness, Pedigree added the Adoption Drive Foundation, a non-profit organization to benefit select breed rescues and shelters, and the Pedigree DOGSTORE -- a pop-up store in Times Square which hosted local New York shelters dogs and gave the public the chance to buy branded merchandise, make charitable donations to the foundation and, of course, adopt dogs. The store was timed to Pedigree's annual sponsorship of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Every year, Westminster recognizes the top purebreds in the world. What they don't recognize are the thousands of less fortunate dogs in shelters across America. This seemed like the opportune time to "drive" the campaign into dog lovers' minds. Did it work?

The store was only open for a few weeks, but it managed to attract over 43,000 visitors, over 75,000 was spent on merchandise and the store received over 4,500 in straight donations. Spokesperson, Kate Walsh, from ABC's (American Broadcast Corporation) television show Private Practice, officially opened the store and even adopted a little black Shepard-mix puppy; after which, the two appeared on popular American talk shows such as Rachel Ray, the Tonight Show with David Letterman, Martha and the Today show. The promotion was also featured on a segment of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, which had contestants crafting adoption awareness ads.

The store was wrapped in Pedigree's iconic yellow and black color scheme, children bounced on an oversized dog bed, families were invited to visit a corner designed to look like a tiny house to share their adoption stories for the Dogsrule.com website and visitors purchased branded Dogs Rule coffee mugs, T-Shirts and ceramic dog bowls in the store's merchandise area.

Running along side the Adoption Foundation and the Pop-up DOGSTORE, Pedigree and TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles also ran national television commercials and print ads, featuring real dogs in real shelters. The ads were so emotionally compelling that not only did it raise thousands of dollars (since Pedigree continues to add a donation every time a bag of dog food is purchased), but each dog featured in the commercials were almost immediately adopted by viewers. The commercials were filmed in local Los Angeles shelters and featured actor, and dog lover, David Duchovny as the voice over.

One of the challenges in promoting the Adoption Drive, says the creative team, is fighting the preconceived notions about shelter dogs, that they are poorly behaved, dangerous or just plain ugly. That's why one spot, for instance, tells the story of Bailey, an adorable mutt who lost his home not because he was bad, but because the family moved into an apartment that does not allow dogs. Each story, from King, the guardant German Shepard to Otis, the lovable pug, is so powerful and universal.

The campaign was constructed off an ongoing mission to educate audiences about the joys and responsibilities of dog ownership, inspire people to consider shelter dogs and encourage audiences to help the brand continue to help dogs all over the world. As a result of these ongoing efforts over the years, the brand has raised 3.5 million for over 3,500 shelters and breed rescues nationwide. This year alone, Pedigree has received over 750,000 in donations.

The campaign is picking up momentum, and is crossing borders. Adoption Drives have been organized in Australia, Canada, the UK, Germany, Ireland, France, South Africa, and are expected to run in Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria.

It truly is an amazing story and proves that everything, from traditional television ads to DogsRule food bowls, add up to a brand people can love and trust.

To donate to the Pedigree Foundation, click here.

What conventions did you disrupt with the new campaign?

There are really two big conventions that we are dealing with: Number one, that selling dog food is a rational, scientific business, based on ingredients and benefits. And number two: that the way to market packaged goods is with :30 and :15 TV ads and coupons.

What are the goals of the new campaign?

To inspire more people to adopt dogs; to raise money and awareness for dogs living in shelters; to live up to our brand promise that "Everything we do is for the love of dogs;" to establish Pedigree as the clear leader in the category; to help Pedigree transcend the dog food category and simply become a great American brand; And finally, to inspire retail sales.

Is there any significance to the tag line?

"Dogs rule." is a promise and a celebration. It's a promise that to us, dogs come first. That everything we do is because we love them. In this case it also says that even when they're stuck in a cold cage behind a rusty fence, they are amazing, beautiful creatures. It's also a celebration of how incredible dogs are and how important our relationship with them is.

What was the creative/strategic mandate behind the campaign?

Everything we do is for the love of dogs.

How did the idea for the campaign come about?

Every year our biggest sponsorship is for the Westminster Dog Show. But we thought that just focusing on the purebred show dogs was missing a huge opportunity, and just plane wrong. Pedigree is for all dogs, especially the ones in need. So we decided to use Westminster as a media platform to draw attention to the millions of shelter dogs out there who aren't as lucky.

What were your inspirations/cues in creating the campaign?

We just wanted to be as real, down to earth and honest as we could be in portraying the lives of these dogs. Visiting a shelter is an incredibly emotional experience so we just wanted to capture the essence of that emotion without becoming sappy or maudlin.

But there is also a really joyful side to dog adoption. Getting a new dog is an amazing experience, and knowing that you're also saving a life is incredibly rewarding. We had to find a way to bring both emotional angles to the campaign in the right place and at the right time to tell the story completely.

How did you choose the music for the spot? What were you trying to accomplish?

It was composed by Michael Fitz at New Math. He has worked with us for the last 4 years to create emotional and engaging original music for the Pedigree campaign. Again, we were just trying to keep the feel of the campaign very real, honest and down to earth. The visuals are extremely emotional and we need the music to understand the seriousness of the issue but also provide an element of hope that we can help these dogs.

What did your choice of talent bring to the spot?

We went to real dog shelters in the LA area and shot the real dogs that were living there on those days. It's really important that these aren't trained dogs. When Echo gets excited to see people at the front of her cage, it's a natural reaction. She really wants to make a connection with someone and get out from behind those bars. And when they leave, she is naturally confused and upset. When Mary Grace shakes with fear, that's a real reaction to finding herself in a cage and hearing hundreds of other dogs barking. This reality and honesty is what breaks your heart when you watch the TV spots. It's what makes you want to help. And it's what makes you love and trust the Pedigree brand for putting this kind of messaging out there.

Why do you think the campaign is successful?

No one else is taking the time or putting forth the effort to reach a national audience with this message in such a compelling and honest way. Dog lovers don't just love their own dogs, they love all dogs and want to do their best to help them.

Is the campaign being implemented in other countries?

Yes, adoption drives have been organized in Australia, Canada, the UK, Germany, Ireland, France, South Africa and are expected to run in Portugal, Italy, Netherlands and Austria