Using AI To Find Shelter Dogs Their Forever Home with Colenso BBDO and Pedigree
As humans, we are so incredibly lucky to have dogs.
It’s heartwarming to know that despite all our individual trials and tribulations, our worries, all the things we don’t like about ourselves, despite everything… At the end of the day, our beloved pet dog will be there, tail wagging, ready to make everything okay.
Pedigree understands this bond. Their aim as a company is to end dog homelessness, to match shelter dogs with the right family because all dogs deserve a happy life. Partnering with Colenso BBDO, Pedigree created ‘Adoptable’, an AI powered OOH marketing initiative that uses shelter dogs as their spoke-pawsons.
Each OOH comes with a QR code that allows people to learn more about the dog on display and serves as a way of encouraging adoption. Once a dog is adopted, they are replaced with another shelter dog.
LBB’s Casey Martin spoke to Colenso BBDO’s CCO, Simon Vicars on this Grand Prix winning initiative and what the future holds for Adoptable.
LBB> Firstly, congratulations on winning a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024! What does the Grand Prix mean to you and your team personally and professionally?
Simon> Colenso has a long legacy of creative excellence. In over 50 years, this is the agency’s third ever Grand Prix, so when you put it into context - it’s very special. And to win a Grand Prix at Cannes in back-to-back years is nuts. For Colenso and PEDIGREE it’s validation that the effort, passion, and dedication to use creativity to make the world a better place for dogs isn’t going unnoticed.
LBB> The choice to use AI in order to generate studio quality images of real life shelter dogs is very clever. What did you learn during the process, and what will you continue to take with you into the future?
Simon> Our main learning from Adoptable is that you should be recklessly ambitious with AI because if you’re not, by the time you bring your idea to market it’ll be unremarkable. That’s how fast AI moves. Also, find great partners who are psychotically excited about doing impossible things.
LBB> Targeting the shelter dogs to certain areas based on factors such as family dynamics and proximity to parks is a whole new level of knowing one's audience. How did this decision come about and what goes into achieving this?
Simon> A shelter dog being adopted is a beautiful moment, but 1 in 5 dogs are returned to shelters because they aren’t suitable for their household. We knew Adoptable couldn’t just be about getting dogs adopted; we needed them to be adopted by the right family. Working with shelters to understand the triggers behind re-surrendering was key to our targeting approach and something we’re excited to make even more sophisticated as Adoptable evolves.
LBB> It has been said in the case study that by 2026 all Pedigree digital touch points will feature a shelter dog that is available to adopt, in what other ways do you see this initiative transforming over the next few years?
Simon> As we touched on earlier, tech is an ever-evolving field, so the ‘how’ is likely to change as Adoptable evolves, but our ‘why’ will always stay the same. When we looked at the body of work PEDIGREE has made for the past two decades, they all had one universal truth: they all featured a dog in them. Our goal is that soon any dog you see featured in a PEDIGREE ad will be adoptable, across OOH, print, film, social and hopefully even pack. This ultimate goal will be a game changer for shelters and dog adoption alike.
LBB> What was a highlight and what was a challenge? How did they impact the process?
Simon> The challenge of Adoptable was purely how impossible it was. Born during a breakfast table brainstorm, we could immediately tell the possibilities were huge, but the impossibilities were even huger. Without our partners, Adoptable could have so easily been a ‘what if’ idea. Finding co-conspirators who felt as strongly as us that Adoptable was just too good to not be a reality, those were the highlights.
LBB> When it comes to working with a brand that has a huge global presence, what are the key questions you ask in order to understand the brand identity?
Simon> Our partnership with the Global PEDIGREE team spans the best part of a decade, so we live and breathe the brand already – and that definitely helps. But aside from that we are really fortunate that PEDIGREE have such a clear and recognisable brand that simply stands for feeding the good that dogs bring to the world. So that is the key question we ask ourselves when we concept on PEDIGREE - does the idea deliver to this?
LBB> The campaign in particular has a strong focus on purpose-driven marketing. Talk us through how purpose-driven marketing is different from other aspects of the industry.
Simon> ‘Purpose’ is getting a bit of a beat up at the moment in the industry. When it’s purpose just for the sake of it, that’s warranted. But where that differs is when a brand's purpose is core to their business. Then, by investing in purpose, they’re investing in their commercial success. It can’t be a half-ass side hustle that just cleans the consciousness of a corporation.
LBB> Any ideas on how Colenso BBDO may top this success in the future?
Simon> Our game plan’s working, so we won’t be changing much. We’ll keep chasing ideas that feel unavoidably interesting and see where that leads us next. Creativity and determination help you succeed in this industry, but so does dumb luck and good timing. You can’t control those things. So we’ll just keep trying our hardest, and hope that the universe is kind to us.
