How to boost dog adoption? The problem persists and is very real, but every year we see more and more campaigns and initiatives talking about it. This was at the heart of our challenge: how to address the topic in a way that would be both moving and unique, bringing a fresh perspective.

To reinforce the notion that dogs bring happiness back to people’s lives, Pedigree used the fact that the most common game that dogs and their owners play is fetch. They created a line of fetch toys printed with the words “love,” “happiness,” “life,” and “hope.”

The balls were sent to influencers and people who’d been through a traumatic event, packaged in beautiful boxes in the shape of dogs’ heads. The ball seemed to be cradled in the dog’s mouth, ready for an owner to grab it. The box included the campaign concept, which helps to explain the positive effects of having a dog on people’s lives: “If you give up love and throw it away, a dog brings it back”.

The initiative was delivered to few Brazilian influencers in the area, and to a few people who’d gone through harsh comedowns in life and found that having a dog helped them recover love, or the will to live, hope and happiness. Along with the direct mail initiative, the brand launched an animated spot on its social media channels.

This was yet another of Pedigree’s global initiatives launched this year to help boost the adoption of mutts in Brazil. Year by year, the number of dogs being adopted has only gone up. What’s more, the idea helped to get the conversation going yet again on social media.