TAKE A BABY STEP INTO PARENTING (PARK)

Bronze Spike Campaign
TitleTAKE A BABY STEP INTO PARENTING (PARK)
BrandMARS
Product / ServicePEDIGREE
CategoryA01. Fast Moving Consumer Goods
1 of 3 Campaign
EntrantCOLENSO BBDO Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Idea Creation COLENSO BBDO Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Placement WAVEMAKER Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
PR THE SOCIAL CLUB Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production 3&7 Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Nico Ainsworth Colenso BBDO Senior Business Director
Arameh Bozorgi Colenso BBDO Programme Director
Luke Dawson Colenso BBDO Art Director
Max Mckeon Colenso BBDO Creative Director
Ahmad Salim Colenso BBDO Executive Director, MARS Business & Innovation
Levi Slavin Colenso BBDO Chief Creative Officer
Michael Swinburn Colenso BBDO Copywriter
Dan Wright Colenso BBDO Group Executive Creative Director
Shem Dela Cruz Baua Colenso BBDO Business Manager
James Baker Colenso BBDO Project Manager
Natasha Gill Colenso BBDO Head of TV
Ashlee Harris Colenso BBDO Integrated Producer
Josh Hart-Vrijkotte Colenso BBDO Designer
Dean Pomfrett Colenso BBDO Design Director
Hamish Steptoe Colenso BBDO Designer
Emma Tait Colenso BBDO Digital & Data Strategist
Kim Scott Colenso BBDO Art Director
Fern Holloway Colenso BBDO Senior Producer
Teresa Luckman Colenso BBDO Experience Design Lead
Nic Seagrave Colenso BBDO Digital Experience Designer
Fabio Alings MARS Global Brand Director - PEDIGREE
Cormac Van Den Hoofdakker MARS Marketing Manager, Pet - PEDIGREE
Paige Mortleman MARS Brand Manager, Dog & Speciality - PEDIGREE
Tennille Barnes Colenso BBDO Head of Digital Production
Jodie Heron Colenso BBDO Digital Designer
Elle Kiddie Colenso BBDO Digital Producer
Anna Markova Colenso BBDO Technical Lead
Claudio Varoli-Piazza Colenso BBDO Senior Digital Producer
Chris Domin Colenso BBDO Senior Digital Producer
Amanda Theobald Colenso BBDO Senior Digital Producer
Casey Chan Colenso BBDO Digital Designer
Logan Maire Colenso BBDO Creative Technologist
Fabio Cigliano Colenso BBDO Senior Developer
Ryan Potter Colenso BBDO Senior Developer
Richard Betts Blockhead VFX Online
Luke Haigh Freelancer Editor
Reks Kok Colenso BBDO Retoucher
Craig Matuschka Liquid Studios Sound Design
Marty Williams Freelancer DOP
Steve Boniface Freelance Photographer
Larisa Tiffin 3&7 Producer
Steve Ayson 3&7 Director
Trish Burlinson Freelance Colourist
Peter Van Der Fluit Liquid Studios Music Composition

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Pedigree ‘Baby Steps’ lovingly convinced people to delay their parenting plans, and adopt a dog instead. The campaign launched with a series of films featuring exchanges between new ‘parents’ where one party, unbeknownst to the other, is referring to their dog-child instead. In ‘Park’, a conversation unfolds where a mother appears to have lost her child in the bushes, but remains unphased – much to the dismay of an onlooker. As the film continues, the neglectful mother redeems herself the moment she’s reunited with her child – who turns out to be a dog. With this context, all of her nonchalance is forgiven, and the advantages of dogs over babies become clear. That’s when the viewer is invited to Take A Baby Step Into Parenting, and start their family, with a dog.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Millennial couples were starting families later than any other generation in history. So we helped them. We saw the anti-baby boom for what it was; a great opportunity for dog adoption. That’s why we created a life-stage between life-stages. One that offered the young couples a baby step into parenting, with all the advantages of a child, but far fewer drawbacks. Be it pressure from the in-laws, a love of freedom, or simply not being ready, we turned their parenting hesitancy into the perfect excuse to adopt a dog. Couples became families, houses became homes, shelter dogs became loved dogs. And babies waited their turn. Parenthood, schmarenthood.