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Pedigree kicks off global campaign platform conceptualised by Colenso BBDO and BBDO New York

Several weeks ago, Colenso BBDO launched Pedigree’s Found app, an innovative tool developed in conjunction with Google with the aim of giving dog owners a digital tool to find their lost pets. At the time of the app’s launch, the team at Colenso mentioned that the new tech trinket would serve as precursor to the launch of Pedigree’s new global platform. And overnight (in New Zealand) this new platform came to fruition via a pair of TVCs bearing the slogan that launched in Australia and Brazil.

Both spots were developed by BBDO agencies, with the Brazilian ad being the work of Almap and the Australian one credited to Clemenger across the ditch.

And although these spots weren’t developed by Colenso, they both bear the ‘feed the good’ positioning that the Kiwi agency has developed in conjunction with BBDO New York over the last few months.  

“At its heart is the simple, yet powerful, insight that dogs bring out the best in all of us, and Pedigree brings out the best in them,” explains Ahmad Salim, one of the group business directors at the agency.

New Zealand was in fact the first country to get a taste of the new positioning through the ‘Dogs don’t judge’ radio and print ads that were recently launched in this market.    

“[The campaign] aims to bring to life that powerful insight that no matter who you are in life or what decisions you may have made, no matter how divisive you may be, you can always rely on the love of your dog,” says Salim. “That unconditional love can help you be the best you can be, in the same way as Pedigree can help your dog be the best they can be. The idea behind the Dogs Don’t Judge campaign is simple: dogs see the good in everyone and make us better people, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you say or what you do, they love you unconditionally and never judge, no matter what happens or what other people think.”        

Leonid Sudakov, the chief marketing officer of Global Petcare at Mars, says “studies show how the companionship of animals transforms and improves people’s lives, [and]by nourishing the loveable innocence in every dog, Pedigree helps feed the good they bring to the world.” 

Salim explains that several agencies within the BBDO network were asked to put forward ideas, and the thinking from Colenso was eventually chosen to lead the campaign. 

“BBDO has a global creative network and it’s a generally a case of choosing the right team for the job. Whether it’s a global pitch for another brand completely or a different category, it’s not infrequent for us to have a request from New York to help them out with a project. And I think when it comes to things that require a big idea, we tend to come in from a different point of view and this keeps things interesting and often leads to something quite nice. That’s what happened in this case, and ultimately they chose the idea that we had to be the lead on the campaign. And with that being the case, they also decided to run with a few our executions that have been in development for some time now.”

And although a Colenso-created TVC is yet to hit television screens, the agency has over the last few weeks worked closely with BBDO New York to develop a topical campaign related to current affairs in the US media. 

Colenso also developed the strategic development of the global campaign and were involved in the writing and production of the two TV spots launching in the US this week.

“The process of changing the global platform is a big deal, and we’re instrumental in providing the thinking behind it,” says Worthington. “We won’t be creating all the work across all the markets, unfortunately … maybe one day. But right now, we’re leading the early days, the first work, and we’re currently helping the guys in New York launch their TV spot.” 

For some time now, Colenso’s leadership team has spoken about the importance of developing platforms that can be rolled out in various countries by adding regional nuances, and one of the major advantages of this posititioning is that it can be modified to fit the desired purpose. It is equally effective in a humorous setting (as indicated by the radio ads), a controversial setting (print ads) or an emotive setting (TVCs). 

“We’re consistently involved in pieces of work that sit way beyond the boundaries of Australia and New Zealand, where our day-to-day remit is,” says Colenso’s digital planning director Neville Doyle. “It’s a very exciting place to be and it’s a case of going from being a world-class agency in New Zealand to a world-class agency that happens to be in New Zealand. We want to be one of the best agencies in the world, not the best agency in New Zealand.” 

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