Pedigree’s Super Bowl Cause Marketing Gamble: Bold Move or Waste of Money?
#1 Thing You Need to Know about this Post:
Pedigree has spent a lot of resources to create awareness about the Pedigree Adoption Drive and will need to use its online resources to prove it was a wise decision, not prideful folly.
A More Detailed Exploration
The Super Bowl is a spectacular affair with entertainment for almost everyone, whether or not you care about the game on the field. People were overflowing with anticipation, celebration, indifference, derision, and disappointment throughout the evening. And that was just for the commercials (see the Twitter stream).
Out of all the spots that were aired, I noticed two that were primarily cause marketing initiatives: the NFL and Pedigree. While the NFL has a long history of promoting its community support (e.g. United Way commercials) and gets its air time as part of the broadcast agreement, Pedigree had to pay full retail price.
Pedigree’s Super Bowl Gamble
At $3 million plus production costs, Pedigree invested a large sum of time, money, and resources to draw attention its Pedigree Adoption Drive.
Didn’t see the commercial? You can view it right here:
Wrong Stadium?
With the Animal Planet airing Puppy Bowl V in direct competition with the Super Bowl, the most avid dog enthusiasts weren’t even watching the Super Bowl spot. Try as I might, I couldn’t find any stories, blog posts, or critiques of the Puppy Bowl commercials, so I can’t verify if their spot aired there as well. But, I would be willing to wager it did.
Nevertheless, there was an astronomically higher numbers of people watching the Super Bowl (and twittering about it), many of whom were Pedigree’s target audience: people who could adopt a dog. In that light, I think it was the right stadium, but one with a hefty ticket price.
It was a Bad Call (to-Action)
I found the spot to be funny and entertaining, but was left wondering what to do next. Did I miss the specific call to action? There was no URL promoted to learn more (even though many of us were watching the game with laptops in front of us) and my attention was quickly taken away by the Budweiser clydesdale fetching a stick.
Since I was actively watching for cause-related commercials and wrote a note to myself to research it later, I was able to figure out what they were trying to accomplish. Otherwise, I would’ve been like the vast majority of people who saw it and just moved on to other things (Hulu, CareerBuilder, etc.).
Pedigree’s Game Plan
In a nutshell, the Pedigree Adoption Drive asks you and me to help them help dogs. We have four ways to help:
- Adopt a Dog – the site offers guides for adopting and search tools for local shelters.
- Volunteer at a Shelter - for those inclined to donate elbow grease, you can find a shelter by zip code.
- Donate- if you want to give money, you can donate thru the Pedigree Foundation to support local shelters.
- Watch a Video – each of the four main characters in the Super Bowl ad have their back story told in a video – who couldn’t relate with Esther’s affection for her pet ostrich, Bruno? (Yes, they even built out www.bisondung.net for the water buffalo owner.) For every video that is watched, Pedigree will donate the equivalent of one meal to local shelters.
My Halftime Analysis – There’s Still Time Left on the Clock
Even though they floundered in the first half, I think Pedigree has the ability to win the game. Some might question Pedigree’s core commitment to the cause they’re promoting. Some might say it is only a publicity stunt that doesn’t go far enough. Others might say they could’ve use the money better. But, what matters most is what Pedigree thinks and believes. If they want it bad enough, they’ll win this game.
You have to respect that they’re in the trenches right now and doing something to help dog shelters and encourage responsible dog ownership. But they need to do more to demonstrate their commitment, illustrate the impact they are making, and keep people engaged. Here’s how:
- Keep Driving - when I went to the Puppy Bowl V website, guess who had an overlay ad on the site? Yup, Pedigree. They need to keep that going and drive more traffic to their site.
- Get Serious - humor is a great way to get someone’s attention and make a connection. But humor will only go so far. Dog shelters are full for a serious reason and dog abandonment creates serious issues. Pedigree needs to learn from H & R Block’s shift from the humorous fake super fan Truman Green to the more practical, serious tone of tax advisers. Pedigree needs to start dealing with the core issue of dog abandonment and prevent it from happening.
- Play Zone – People are on Twitter, Facebook, the Blogosphere, and other places on the Internet seeking timely, relevant resources. Pedigree needs to tap the expertise of their dog shelter partners and get them on these fields. Make it easy for someone who is considering pet adoption to connect with a real human being who can help them.
- Highlights and Ticker Tape Parades – everyone loves to see the impact their support makes. Pedigree needs to make a concerted effort to show the impact of all these efforts. You and I would think much differently of Pedigree if they show us videos of the pet shelters that benefited, hear the stories of people who did adopt dogs because of this campaign, and learn more about Pedigree’s future plans related to this cause.
- Create a Fan Club – Pedigree has spent a lot of money to assemble an audience. They need to make it easy for you and me to stay connected. Where can the loyal Pedigree fans go to meet other fans, share practical advice, generate new ideas, give candid feedback, and serve as Pedigree evangelists?
Enough About What I Think, What Do You Think?
So what do you think? Is Pedigree truly committed to doing good? Was this a good use of their resources? What would’ve you done differently with the money they spent?
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February 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I actually thought it was a good spot in that the call to action was to get a dog. It set up why I needed a dog by showing me all the things I could do if I had one, rather than an ostrich or a water buffalo.
Pedigree did not directly benefit from the spot, and in that sense, it was not a good ad.
I mentioned the Pedigree spot in my blog post about the ads during the first half of the Super Bowl.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I can’t speak to Pedigree’s actual commitment to the cause, but as one that is directly related to their product, it already has merit, and if executed effectively, also has the ability to make a difference.
So, what I question in this scenario, is not their motives but their strategy behind delivering on them.
I am personally of the belief that a $3M dollar media buy + hefty production costs in orchestrating a spot featuring wild animals, computer-enhanced images and special effects was an overly aggrandized brand play, which is in direct opposition to the cause they are seeking to promote.
Was it viewed by several million eyeballs? Yes. Can those eyeballs be directly translated to new dog adopters? Probably not. Especially, as you astutely pointed out, there was no clear call to action; only a mention of the Pedigree Adoption Drive that flashed on the screen for nanoseconds at the end of the commercial.
That money could have indeed been better spent actually benefitting the lives of abandoned dogs in need of a home, and a well targeted relationship marketing campaign that reaches consumers on a meaningful, one to one level.
The old paradigm of casting a wide net no longer has value in an oversaturated space, lest of all through a vehicle that, by design, is largely intended for entertainment and mass mindshare than stimulating sales or behavior.
My issue with Pedigree is the same as with Hyundai and GE because all of them undercut the possibility of affecting real change by wasting money on a Superbowl spot, better utilized elsewhere — and on more actionable efforts.
Hyundai used a $3M spot to promote a Customer Assurance Program whereby victims of lost income can return their cars without penalty. Strategically, that’s a miss, flagrantly strutting a muli-million dollar ad in front of those who have lost their jobs.
Wouldn’t it have been better to take that money and do something good with it like paying off those defaulted loans? It’s tantamount to the town going hungry as Marie Antoinette feasts on lavish meals. The Hyundai spot was like tossing cake at starving peasants. A bit hyperbolic, yes, but it illustrates my point. It wasn’t worth the return (or lack thereof) and sent the wrong message.
GE also dolled out millions on their ‘eco-magination’ spot when that money would have definitely been better spent greening their practices and manufacturing processes.
Another bit of irony to be ostentatiously spotligting their eco-innovation through wastefulness, which entirely negates the premise of sustainable business — people, planet and profit in equal priority — and mindful allocation of funds. In my opinion, it was an irresponsible use of dollars that causes me to, in fact, question the eco commitment that they were promoting.
To me, Pedigree falls into this misuse of funds category, and in the process, diminishes their commitment to the cause — even if it is a genuine one, which I believe it is.
But the money has already been spent, and the spot has already aired, so to your point, pull-through is now critical, and harnessing whatever brand attention and market response was generated to truly drive this commitment home, and demonstrate results [in the form of helping animals].
If I were counseling them, I’d advise that they now focus efforts on quantifiable outcomes, and publish the results — i.e. showing # of dogs who were adopted and creating emotional connections with stories that appeal to dog lovers.
I’d also recommend that they center on grassroots initiatives that build tangible relationships to bolster brand affinity in spreading the word and championing their message.
Plus, at the end of the day, humor is better reserved for lighter subject matter, and Pedigree’s attention should be on solidifying a caring image vs. a cavalier approach to pets in need. By doing so, they reinforce their commitment to the cause through authenticity — not absurdity.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Scott:
I think this is a very interesting question, especially as brands become more active in the social space. Humor is a great way to try and break-through clutter or “go viral” and is just about a prerequisite for a SuperBowl commercial.
However, I think that brands need to find out where they resonate best for consumers. We did have a fictional, entertaining persona last year in Truman Greene. What we learned is that consumers trust our brand for tax information, so we have refined our engagement programs around tax. That doesn’t mean that we don’t infuse humor (like in our Superbowl ad)for break-through/enjoyability, but we also understand that we help people by helping with their tax questions. While we are supporting our Superbowl program across all our social media avenues, we also have not moved away from tax advice and tools.
I think brands need to determine how they are most relevant to their customers. Entertainment may be entirely relevant for one brand and miss the mark with another.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Great question on Pedigree and dialogue. I had a similar take in my blog post yesterday (and a previous one last week). Though worth noting that this has been a multi-year campaign and cause program from the brand and has won Halo Award in past:
http://goodconcepts.blogspot.com/2009/02/super-bowls-cause-related-commercials.html
July 5th, 2009 at 9:56 am
[...] Pedigree’s Super Bowl Cause Marketing Gamble: Bold Move or Waste of Money? 2009 July 5 by scottyhendo This post was originally posted on http://blog.mediasauce.com on 2/03/2009. Comments can be viewed here. [...]