Pedigree is celebrating all the brave canines who help their owners in a new campaign called ‘Every Pup’s Superpower.’ The promotion is a tie-in to Mars Petcare’s sponsorship of IMAX film Superhero Dogs and includes donations to local shelters.
Pet food brand Pedigree is appealing to animal lovers with its latest cause campaign. To celebrate the launch of Superhero Dogs in IMAX theatres, the company is asking social media users to share what makes their dog special. (Spoiler alert: everything, because they’re dogs.)
Superhero Dogs is an original film that tells the story of dogs from around the world that work as rescue, training, emotional support and security. The film is running at select IMAX theaters in the US through January 1, 2020.
Beginning March 11, Pedigree will donate one bowl of food to shelter dogs waiting to be adopted, up to 500,000 bowls, every time that someone shares their dog’s story with the hashtag #EveryPupsSuperpower or engages with a like, etc.
In addition, the Pedigree brand will donate $250,000 to the Pedigree Foundation to support shelters around the country.
‘Every Pup’s Superpower’ uses influencer marketing to increase the campaign’s exposure. Pedigree partnered with best-selling author and animal activist Kathryn Schwarzenegger to highlight the campaign and encourage followers to use the hashtag.
Schwarzenegger has nearly 800,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter alone. Her post has garnered over 11,000 Instagram likes in the first six hours.
The partnership is timely for both Pedigree and Schwarzenegger, as she who recently released her book, Maverick and Me. The book introduces children to the concept of animal rescue. Schwarzenegger also found herself in the spotlight through her engagement to actor Chris Pratt. The timing of this new campaign allows Pedigree to reach users who are just starting to get to know Schwarzenegger as well as her loyal fans.
“The ‘Every Pup’s Superpower’ program is a demonstration of our commitment to finding loving homes for all dogs,” said Elizabeth Barrett, Pedigree brand manager in a statement. “We hope this program inspires people to share stories of their own dogs’ amazing abilities and to spread awareness about the need for pet adoption so that more animals end up in forever homes.”
Pedigree launched ‘Every Pup’s Superpower’ as an extension of its global ‘Feed the Good’ campaign, highlighting how dogs and human benefit from each other. The Mars-owned brand highlights pet adoption and uses real-life stories of dog heroes to drive its positive message home.
In a time when Americans, especially millennials, treat their pets as family, animal-centric cause marketing campaigns stand to reach consumers on a uniquely emotional level.