The fear of losing your dog is universal to all dog owners, but smartphones may now hold the key to finding lost dogs – by outrunning them with digital ads, thanks to Pedigree and Google’s new app and campaign via Colenso BBDO, Auckland.
Case study summary
• Pedigree created an app that allows dog owners to pre-register their dog in New Zealand
• Lost dog owner can send out real time, geo-targeted message to people in vicinity
• Pre-registered ‘lost dog’ advertisement instantly served across the Google Display Network within a 1.5 mile radius of the owner.
• A push notification is also sent via the app to other owners have who signed up
• Within three months, 10% of dog owners had downloaded the app and 91% registered their dog.
The challenge
The dog food market is cluttered and Pedigree Chum wanted to find a way to create a useful service for its target audience, and identified an opportunity to provide protection for the pets people love.
Every dog owner fears their dog running off and getting lost. That’s a permanent concern of all the consumers of Mars Petcare. In the pre-digital era, this was tackled through photocopied posters, stuck on local lampposts and trees – in what was often an act of desperation.
Find a digital solution to help dog owners have added support, and create an approach that could scale across countries. Make an app and approach that can mobilize local communities to help find lost dogs.
The brand worked with Colenso BBDO Auckland advertising agency for Pedigree in New Zealand, for a campaign released in June 2015.
The solution
The technology of the app proved to be simple, and the execution included developing a mechanism to alert local neighbours.
“It took us about $5000 to develop the app, and it’s just one example of how you can think about “being useful” in a different way”, explains Leonid Sudakov, President, Connected Solutions, Mars Petcare.“
If your dog gets lost, the app helps it get found. Simple”
Instant to download and simple to use
• Reaches out to local dog owners, and a community of like-minded individuals
• Enables the brand to earn massive equity by satisfying a wider consumer need
• Perfect illustration of brands as a service
The results
Within three months, 10% of dog owners had downloaded the app and 91% registered their dog.
Auckland Council are now using Pedigree Found across their entire management network and was offered as part of official new dog registrations in the country.
Leonid Sudakov, CMO, Mars Petcare, said: “Found goes to the heart of what we as a company want to do – help make the world a better place for dogs and dog owners alike. The fear of what to do when your dog goes missing is a universal one, and being able to harness the power of digital & mobile to help consumers in their time of need is what makes our job so rewarding.”
Roberta Macdonald, head of creative agency engagement, Google Australia/New Zealand, added: “Found is a great example of how a brand can live their values through the creative use of mobile technology. Projects like this can have a big impact on people, delivering a simple way to take instant action during a stressful experience.”