Pet care brand Pedigree has launched Adoptable, a new AI-powered initiative to help end canine homelessness, created by Colenso BBDO and Nexus Studios.
Adoptable uses AI to put real, adoptable shelter dogs at the centre of global advertising, accelerating Pedigree’s mission to end dog homelessness, by turning every Pedigree ad into an ad for a shelter dog near you.
Worldwide, 12 million dogs are in shelters waiting for their forever home. Pedigree has been supporting dog adoption for nearly two decades. Now, thanks to AI and machine learning, that support can reach a scale that was previously unfeasible.
Adoptable uses a bespoke AI model to transform a basic photo of a shelter dog into studio-quality photography. That image can then be used in any digital Pedigree ad. The first-of-its-kind initiative combines proprietary technology with Pedigree’s global ad reach to turn the brand’s digital ads into ads for shelter dogs, too.
“Adoptable is a transformational step for us at Pedigree. It puts our purpose at the heart of everything we do. Soon, our advertising won’t just take our products to the world, it’ll take adoptable dogs, too,” says Fabio Alings, global brand director, Pedigree.
Because Adoptable maps the new image of the dog to a CGI rig, the digital dog double can be positioned into any pose to suit any media format. And when the featured dog is adopted, it’s instantly dropped out of media rotation.
“Every ad Pedigree makes around the world has one universal similarity. It always features a dog in it. We wondered, what if that dog could be adoptable? By developing this technology, we can put purpose into the commercial realities of an FMCG brand. Sales driving and product-centric work can now power our ambition to end dog homelessness,” Says Simon Vicars, chief creative officer, Colenso BBDO.
Adoptable not only puts shelter dogs in the spotlight, it addresses another key issue impacting dog homelessness. Currently, 1 in 5 adopted dogs are returned to shelters. Adoptable matches breeds to the locations and households that suit them best through geo-targeting and first-party data. Essence Mediacom and Hyper Media then made sure the right dogs were seen by the right people.
Adoptable’s launch saw a significant uplift in adoption rates. Within the first two weeks, 50 per cent of shelter dogs featured had been adopted, with traffic to shelter site profiles increasing 6 times. Potential pet parents were 12 per cent more likely to adopt when the adopter comes into the shelter site via an Adoptable asset.
Global marketing manager Mehgan Recker says what’s different about Adoptable is that it allows any ad that Pedgree makes to live its purpose – not just a few adoption ads.
“Right now, 25 per cent of our media spend goes towards purpose-led work. Adoptable gives us the ability to mobilise every media dollar behind dogs longing for their forever home. We know that if we can help shelter dogs be seen, we can help them be adopted”.
Launched first in Pedigree’s global test market, New Zealand, the Adoptable technology is being refined and rolled out globally.
