human.kind recently developed an advertising campaign for pet nutrition specialists, Montego. The brand includes top quality dog and cat food as well as a treats offering for pets. The family-run, proudly South African company approached human.kind off the back of some successful adverts produced by the agency.
The agency’s brief was to create a TVC, in line with the brand positioning of ‘home-grown wholesome goodness’. “We wanted to do something unusual that would achieve break-through in the category. Quite a challenge when you look at pet related advertising, but our solution we feel achieved this. We created a poignant piece that plays on the relationships between pet and owner, and to make it more unique, no animals whatsoever were used,” says creative director, Matthew Cooper.
The TVC depicts man’s best friends as part of the family – literally – with scenarios where people substitute for pets. Filmed displaying typical animal characteristics, classic images include a person’s face sticking out the car window gleefully enjoying the wind, as any dog would; another of a person jumping up and down outside the kitchen window in eager anticipation of meal time, and even a young pup playing ‘fetch’ on the beach.
The TVC forms part of a larger campaign that includes digital and print. The campaign is designed to position Montego as affordable high-quality pet nutrition and dispel the myth that local brands can’t compete with international counterparts when it comes to nutritional excellence.
Print adverts will appear in magazines such as Huisgenoot, You, TV Plus, Landbouveekblad and Drum. Additionally a viral campaign was launched requesting networks of people to view the human.kind Montego TVC on YouTube, and to support the charity, Barking Mad. The organisation that places abandoned animals with loving families received R1 from Montego Pet Nutrition each time the ad was viewed. “The aim was to get 10 000 views so that Montego could donate R10 000.00, and we achieved that within the first eight days”, said Cooper.
Credits:
Creative director: Matt Cooper
Head Copywriter: Matt Rowles
Art Director: Theuns van der Merwe
Copywriter: Tamlyn McPeherson
Agency Producer: Caron Bosman
Business unit director: Paul Williams
Account director: Fred Buter
Account manager: Alexa Vorster
Director: Anton Visser (Velocity Films)
Producer: Zayd Halim
Edit: Upstairs
Post: Refinery & Tessa Ford
Audio: Earworm
Watch the ad here.
Montego gives 2000 meals to rescue dogs at the Animal Anti-Cruelty League. Watch it here, and weep. A little kindness goes an awfully long way.
Join them on Facebook.
