Although the Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) global pet adoption initiative had helped more than 3 million families adopt pets, it was the biggest pet adoption program no one knew about. Here are the challenges that PainePR, Procter & Gamble and Helen Woodward Animal center PR executives faced, and their solutions:
Challenge 1: Broadcast Bust
Securing broadcast media coverage was a perennial problem, says Kris Parlett, external relations specialist for P&G Pet Care. Parlett says a key reason for this was the clutter caused by other pet adoption initiatives.
Solution: Hiring Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman as spokesperson got them on Oprah. Enough said.
Challenge 2: Sad Shelters
Many consumers thought IH4TH’s animals were in shelters because they were sick, old or mean. This type of mind-set meant that the team needed to educate consumers about why animals were in shelters.
Solution: Marketing collateral showed happy, healthy animals and the pet adoption kits each adopting family received reinforced that fact.
Challenge 3: Born Free?
Animal activist groups were deploying unfounded scare tactics to lure supporters away from the P&G Iams pet care brand. Parlett blames this on groups that he feels have leveled groundless charges against Iams regarding its research practices. Plus, some subscribe to a primitive “born free” maxim about animals. “They feel animals should not be pets; they should run free,” he adds.
Solution: Reaching out to influential bloggers and receiving positive coverage from them helped negate the scare tactics.
Challenge 4: Budget Woes
Finally, there was the onerous issue of not having a budget that could finance traditional TV advertising or in-store collateral, both critical components in reaching consumers.
Solution: Huffman’s presence and a beefed-up digital campaign helped overcome this dilemma.