Pedigree Dog Food is going to be pushing a cause come Superbowl XLIII, not their own, pet adoption.
The dog food brand, owned by Mars, has had its share of issues over the past few years. Between the pet-food recall of 2007 and the slowing dog-food business industry due to the economy Pedigree decided to try a new trick.
Pedigree, which has never advertised during the big game, says the cause-marketing approach is the way to go. “It’s the right message to send out at this time,” says John Anton, Pedigree’s director of marketing. “More dogs are going to end up in shelters because of home foreclosures.” He adds, “Every time we run this campaign, we see increased sales.”
As for Pedigree’s Super Bowl ad, viewers shouldn’t expect a sappy ad that tugs on the heartstrings. Instead, the company is going straight for the funny bone — a staple approach to Super Bowl advertising. Pedigree’s commercial, which is being crafted by Omnicom Group’s TBWA/Chiat/Day, will show what life would be like if the world didn’t have dogs. A string of crazy pets is expected to appear, including an ostrich giving a mailman a hard time. Though the ad won’t show dog food, it will feature the Pedigree brand name.
Some industry experts say this approach may fall short in a fiercely competitive industry. However, I for one, would be a lot more likely to buy from a company pushing a worthy cause than just promoting its product.
Would you be more likely to try Pedigree if they were promoting pet adoption? Or would it not have any influence in your dog food buying decision? Give me a bark.
* The adorable pup above is Indigo.
