The whole world wants a dog. But what people are looking for tells a different story, with search data indicating that people are more frequently looking for dogs that are impossibly low-maintenance.
Pet food brand WHISKAS believes the answer may be a ‘Meowzer’ – a new breed of dog its created, that's suspiciously similar to a cat.
WHISKAS New Zealand's Bianca Malcolm said the amount of searches for ‘lazy dog breeds that can be left alone’ has doubled in the past year, and is predicted to increase another 50% by the end of this year.
“People are looking for dogs that don’t bark, don’t need to be walked, don’t need to be trained, and are happy for long stretches at home – in other words, they’re looking for a cat,” she said.
Colenso BBDO group creative director Kimberley Ragan said the perfect dog already exists. All it needed was a name change.
“Meet the Meowzer. It’s the perfect dog, for people who can’t really cope with a dog,” she said.
The Meowzer is another way the WHISKAS brand is working towards its global goal of ending pet homelessness. It prevents dogs being returned to shelters due to incompatibility and allows potential pet parents to find their perfect adoptable cat instead.
Ragan said wherever people are searching for their ideal low-maintenance dog, the company is making sure they meet a Meowzer instead.
“By intercepting common search terms, the Meowzer is presented as the answer to every ‘impossible’ dog search,” she said.
Based on their digital footprint, users are served short content films created with production partner, BUCK, which reveal the Meowzer to be the perfect answer to their search.
On social, The Meowzer was launched to the world by influencer Elias Weiss Friedman, founder of The Dogist and New York Times Bestselling Author, while audio creator Puppysongs created a Meowzer song to kick off #Meowzer on TikTok.
As the campaign rolls out they will be joined by more dog and cat influencers, both with the united goal of helping adopters find the right pet, with all online activity supported by outdoor posters and digital OOH.
All touchpoints lead adopters to the Meowzer website, which uses a smart matching algorithm to accurately match potential adopters to the right Meowzers for them.
Credits:
Client: Mars WHISKAS
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Production partners: BUCK and Franklin Rd
Media partner: Essence Mediacom
PR: Porter Novelli New Zealand
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