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Global Ads Spotlight: When AI met Animal Welfare in a Pedigree campaign to boost pet adoptions
Using AI-generated imagery and targeted ads, Pedigree’s 'Adoptable' campaign revolutionized dog adoption efforts, halving shelter populations and winning global acclaim.
In the film, the wonders of Adoptable, an AI model was explained which was trained to aptly understand the visual composition of the dog, thus allowing the visual to be positioned in any media format. (Stills from the campaign)
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, from automating workflows to redefining creative boundaries, it has also found a place in an unexpected corner: animal welfare.
Pet adoption campaigns have long relied on emotional appeals, often spread through viral social media posts or WhatsApp forwards, spotlighting abandoned animals in need of a home. While some of these messages gain traction, many fade into digital obscurity. But a new initiative is aiming to change that dynamic—using AI not just to amplify the message, but to personalize and optimize it in real time.
In 2024, Mars Petcare’s Pedigree brand, in collaboration with Nexus Studios, unveiled "Adoptable," a campaign that leverages machine learning to reimagine how dogs in shelters are presented to the public. The project arrives at a moment of growing concern in New Zealand, where animal shelters are grappling with overcrowding and dwindling adoption rates.
The heart of the campaign lies in an AI model capable of transforming ordinary shelter dog photos into studio-quality portraits. These enhanced images were seamlessly integrated into Pedigree’s digital advertisements, which automatically updated to feature adoptable dogs. Each ad linked viewers to a dedicated landing page offering more information on the specific dog shown.
What set the campaign apart was its responsiveness. Once a dog found a home, its image was immediately removed from circulation—ensuring that the ads remained relevant and that shelter resources were not spent promoting animals no longer in need.
The technology also used geolocation data to ensure that the ads appeared in areas where a particular dog was most likely to be adopted, creating a highly targeted and efficient system. The results were striking: within two weeks of launch, half of the featured dogs had been adopted.
The campaign earned industry-wide praise, culminating in a Grand Prix win in the Outdoor Lions category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
With an ambitious goal to make every digital touchpoint support dog adoption by 2026, "Adoptable" not only represents a leap forward in marketing innovation—it also offers a compelling model for how AI can serve the greater good.
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