WAIT WITH A MATE

Short List
TitleWAIT WITH A MATE
BrandTHE LOST DOGS HOME
Product / ServicePET ADOPTION
CategoryB01. Use of Screens
EntrantY&R MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation Y&R MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Media Placement JCDECAUX Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Production Y&R MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Jake Barrow Y&R Melbourne Executive Creative Director
Josh Moore Y&R Chief Creative Officer
Joey Newton Y&R Melbourne art director
michael barticel Y&R Melbourne copywriter
Janice Ko Y&R Melbourne Creative
Carissa Finneren Y&R Melbourne Creative
Cathryn Reed Y&R Melbourne Account Director
Daniel Liberale Y&R Melbourne Account Manager
Simon Gray Y&R Melbourne Designer
Gerry Matthee Y&R Melbourne Production Manager
Alan Klein JC Decaux Head of Creative Solutions
Ashley Taylor JC Decaux Innovate Project Executive
Amanda Wells JC Decaux Agency Sales Executive

The Campaign

Wait with a Mate was a fully immersive experience that allowed commuters waiting on a train platform to engage in a playful game of fetch with an energetic dog. A digital video display tracked throwing motions via an in-built sensor and a ball on screen took an appropriate flight path. Once the dog retrieved the digital ball, a real tennis ball with unique adoption information got dispensed through a hatch in the center of the build. This brought the digital experience into the real world and left users with a token of their newly formed friendship. They then had the opportunity to return the ball to The Lost Dogs Home and use it to redeem pet adoption discounts.

Creative Execution

Wait with a Mate targeted bored commuters at Australia’s busiest train station by injecting a little excitement into their day while they waited for the train. The campaign launched in December 2016 and ran across an entire week at Southern Cross Station, the perfect high foot-traffic experiential location where traffic figures reached over 400,000. Adoption information and advice was provided by volunteers from The Lost Dogs Home and the shelter dogs even made an appearance on launch day. Wait with a Mate was an immersive activation delivered through the perfect platform. It was able to cut through the clutter and connect with consumers in a memorable and meaningful way.

Wait with a Mate was a huge success. 1,117,968 media impressions were generated across both TV and social media, over 400,000 people were exposed to the interactive display, 1,361 total panel interactions took place (tripling our original target), and most importantly 53 shelter dogs found a loving home as a direct result of this week long campaign. People really got to interact with shelter dogs in an engaging new way giving The Lost Dogs Home its highest adoption figures achieved through a single adoption drive since the organisation’s inception in 1910. We broke through to busy Australians who had never experienced the joys of pet ownership before, showing rather than simply telling them, just how valuable a pet could be.

We engaged busy Melbournians in a non-intrusive manner in a location that nobody expected. Instead of try to bring people to The Lost Dogs Home, we began by taking a playful dog to them. We used the perfect media for the campaign, as it brought the fun of dog ownership to life in a way that only an interactive display could, in an environment where people really needed a little pick me up. As bored commuters waited for the train, they no longer had to wait alone.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Although a large portion of Australians seem to view shelter dogs as damaged goods, we found that misconceptions disappear and bonds quickly form as soon as they get the chance to interact with these dogs. The problem was, people live such busy lives and it’s not always easy to get them to positively interact with a playful dog without interrupting their day. To get people to engage with pets where they normally wouldn’t, we had to bring the dogs to them in a non-intrusive manner and in an environment where they’d be the most receptive. We thought, why not play on the biggest benefit of dog ownership by catching people when they were bored, when they had time to spare and were in need of a pick me up.

Links

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