Pedigree’s Super Bowl Cause Marketing Gamble: Bold Move or Waste of Money?

This post was originally posted on http://blog.mediasauce.com on 2/03/2009. Comments can be viewed here.

#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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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?