If you can catch a booming trend at the right moment and tweak it for a campaign, all hail to you. All hail to BBDO Moscow and Pedigree for this one, The Coach.

Despite (or perhaps because of) an explosion of technological inventions, a lot of people are doing it tough right now. As a corollary, life coaches are “doing it easy”. Business is booming for them. Life coaching sessions are thriving on social networks, with webinars, lectures and books like 45 Easy Steps Towards a Million.

Pet owners are finding that pets – and that includes shelter dogs – are also life coaches. They just happen to be a lot less expensive and their results a lot more enduring. BBDO Moscow and Pedigree’s campaign builds on Pedigree’s knowledge that a dog is a first step towards a new, fulfilled and prosperous life. But in Russia, there are still stereotypes about shelter dogs.

BBDO has built a campaign for Pedigree ahead of International Homeless Animals’ Day in life coach style. The campaign includes the project’s website, OLV, podcasts with celebrities who have adopted dogs and real-life coaches and also advertising in social media, where users can choose a real pet from a shelter and read its biography, clicking the link.

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Each dog has been given a life coach profile that matches its personality to help users to find a perfect pet in line with their interests and wishes. The campaign podcasts, featuring coaches, an animal psychologist, volunteers and celebrity dog owners explain how dogs can help people with calmness, sociability, responsibility, self-confidence, discipline and stress resistance. They talk about their personal experience and give useful recommendations.

https://youtu.be/_zUg33LmVko

Alexey Fedorov, executive creative director, BBDO Moscow, stated, “Pedigree in Russia started to talk about the important topic — homeless dogs adoption. Usually, brands do it by attracting sympathy and pity. But we decided to create an ironic campaign, where we compare dogs with life coaches. Coaching is a very up-to-date topic. Now you can hear how to become successful and become the best version of yourself a new way. An adopted dog will not solve all your problems immediately, and I’m not sure if anyone can. But an adopted pet is the perfect life coach, who is always with you and will make you better every day gradually.”

The campaign will last until September 13.

Credits:

Creative Agency: BBDO

Executive Creative Director: Alexey Fedorov

Creative Group Heads: Natasha Teddy & Sofya Tsytkina

Copywriter: Alexander Sinyuk

Digital Art Directors: Albert Gizatullin & Andrey Krusanov

Web Designers: Yulia Belyakova & Sofya Novikova

Strategic Planners: Anna Khitko, Vera Zgurskaya, Polina Ignatieva & Olga Zhosanu

Head of TV Production: Irina Noruzi

Assistant Producer: Anastasiya Nikolskaya

Music Producer: Dmitry Rubezhov

Digital Producers: Yury Marin & Elena Novoseltseva –

Business Director: Anastasiya Dubrovskaya

Account Management: Katrin Auashria & Asya Shapievskaya

Production Company: Bazelevs

Director: Brig White –

Director of Photography: Mikhail Krichman

Producer: Dmitry Lobkov

Assistant Producer: Maria Berezina

Creative PR Studio: Rodnya  

Chief Executive Officer & Founder: Serafima Gurova

Deputy Chief Executive Officer: Vera Sivachev

Creative Director: Ekaterina Antipova

Account Management: Valeria Startseva, Anastasia Rybalchenko, Daria Belyaeva, Ulyana Salenko, Timur Khakimov & Tamara Papastiya

Client: Mars Petcare Russia

Marketing Director: Olga Kostrova

Dog Portfolio Director: Maria Suchkova

Senior Brand Manager, Pedigree: Nailya Alieva

Brand Manager, Pedigree: Anastasiya Savkina –

Media & Digital Head: Natalya Mikhaylova

Digital Specialist: Anastasiya Barabanov