Dogs Rule

For dog lovers, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is their Super Bowl. Like discerning football fans, devotees of man’s best friend appreciate it when television advertising — usually viewed as an inconvenience — comes off with a creative flair, so much so that the spot breaks are eagerly awaited and seamlessly embedded as part of the special event viewing experience.

Such was the case with Pedigree’s lead sponsorship of last month’s dog show, now in its 131st year, making it the second longest continuously held sporting event in this country, just one year behind the Kentucky Derby. Pedigree has sponsored the annual dog show on television for 20 years, but instead of hawking why its brand of dog food is better than the competition, the brand owned by SmartFoods took a much different approach.

For this year’s Feb. 12-13 prime-time telecast (three hours each night) on USA Network, it was the first time that pet adoption was the focus of Pedigree commercial breaks and online effort, which urge viewers to financially contribute to the American Humane Association (AHA), a charity that supports the protection of children and animals. The integrated, cross-promoted campaign featured an effective, educational Web experience (www.pedigree.com) that tugged on dog owners’ or would-be dog owners’ heartstrings (the company’s trademarked tagline is aptly put: “Dogs rule”), while promoting responsible pet ownership.

A Pedigree-sponsored adoption center was set up on Feb. 8 in Times Square. Dog food samples were handed out by a brand street team, and actress Katherine Heigl, co-star of the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, was on-hand to encourage adoptions.

At Times Square and at the dog show itself at Madison Square Garden, all 12 of the dogs displayed at the two locations drew applications to give them new homes. And attendees and television viewers couldn’t miss that Pedigree was underwriting the event with prominent signage placed throughout the arena.

“Four million dogs end up in shelters each year and less than half of them come out,” viewers and Web visitors were informed. “Help us, help dogs.”

The Web site, built by Grey Interactive, slowly builds with numerous images of playful dogs, ending in a visual crescendo of arguably the cutest dog ever photographed. The site also features 18 Pedigree commercials, produced by Chiat, that require Realplayer to be downloaded.

Pedigree matched up to $250,000 of viewer donations coming in to a toll-free telephone number and Web site repeated during the breaks, generating a total of $1.5 million as of Feb. 15 for the AHA, which distributes the proceeds to needy shelters around the country. Underscoring cyberspace domination these days, the Web site accounted for 99% of the donations.

“We were looking to be involved in a cause-related effort, and as a brand we are very pleased to be able to help the AHA,” says Renee Kopkowski, director of public relations for MasterFoods, adding that it’s the third year that Pedigree has spearheaded an adoption drive, but the first time that it was the main focus of the Westminster Dog Show.

Pedigree’s philanthropy goes beyond sponsoring the dog show. The brand is committed to contributing up to $1 million to dog shelters this year, as the result of several adoption-oriented initiatives.

For every 22-pound bag of dog food purchased in 2007 for $9.99, the firm matches the donation with another $22 bag of food and delivers it to the customer’s shelter of choice. The P-O-P data is sent electronically to Pedigree from the retailers. Every 22-pound bag of food is enough to feed one shelter dog for more than a month or 40 dogs for a day.

In addition, all 2007 dog adopters receive a free month of food at the time they pick up their dog from a shelter. Thus, Pedigree becomes the dog food brand of choice, as the dogs continue to eat the same food they had been eating at the shelters.

“Focusing on adoption was a new thing for us,” says David Frei, a spokesperson for the Westminster Kennel Club (www.westminsterdogshow.org).

Westminster and Pedigree recently renewed the sponsorship deal for another five years, according to Frei, who, like Pedigree, declined to reveal the arrangement’s financial terms.

American Humane’s president and chief executive officer, Marie Belew Wheatley, appreciates all that Pedigree and Westminster have done to promote dog adoption. “It just fits,” she says.