EDELMAN CREATIVE BRIEF
Client: (Pet Hospital)
Date Issued: 5.2.19
Project: (Removed)
Author: Carter + Houston
IN SHORT:
Get pet owners and lovers in Portland, Oregon, (and other locations at our discretion such as Vancouver, Washington)
To take action on pet friendliness in their hometown
By driving support and building momentum among city government leaders and influencers.
Task: Create a 10-slide deck with +/- 3 concepts for activations (social, experiential, earned or all three) that will put Portland and Vancouver on a path to greater pet-friendliness and set off a groundswell of support among pet lovers and city leaders alike to activate on a larger scale.
Background: (The client) would like to build positive sentiment and trust among customers and potential future customers, so that they choose to use (the client’s) vets for their pet-care needs. They’ve been activating in cities across the country with (an initiative to improve pet-friendliness). (They) already (have) a useful website with plenty of resources and thought starters (hyperlinks removed) to improve pet-friendliness in your hometown. They’ve tapped us to come up with concepts for activations to build the initiative’s momentum in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Objective: The activation should enable consumers and pet owners in Portland and Vancouver, WA, to share their ideas on what will make their city more pet-friendly. Ideally, this activation will help (the client) partner with other local organizations and companies to make this a true community event.
Audience: (Primary) Pet lovers in Portland, OR, Vancover, WA., and other cities at our discretion, (Secondary) City officials and influencers
Category Truth: Pet-care is becoming more similar to the way we care for ourselves. People are using technology to monitor and administer care (nutrition apps, telemedicine, fitness trackers, tracking devices and monitoring cameras), using alternative therapies (cannabinoid / hemp-based products, aromatherapy, reflexology, naturopathy) and paying more attention to the food they feed their pets.
Cultural Tension: We’re becoming more isolated, with people in the U.S. reporting feeling more lonely, especially younger people.
Guiding Insight: Millennials are postponing parenthood and replacing that instinctual need to care for and protect a dependent with pet ownership. Because our pets are our de facto children, we will go to great lengths to ensure their dignity, safety and good health. No level of pet-friendliness is ‘good enough,’ especially for Portlanders, who are known for their over-the-top commitment to their passions.
Strategy: Put a civic pride spin on improving pet-friendly infrastructure because what’s good for our pets is good for our community.
Reasons to Believe: (The client) believes in and has a history of giving back to communities in which they (context removed). They also support non-profits and pet owners in need. (The activation’s) website is packed with tools, making it apparent they mean business.
What We Need: An experiential activation, social campaign and earned-media play to drive traffic to (the client’s website).
Metrics
1) Input and excitement from citizens and city officials about what will make their city more pet friendly.
2) (The client) should to be able to identify the gaps and either create programs to address them or show how their current offerings address them.
3) Increased awareness and consideration of the (client’s) brand.
4) Earned-media coverage
Thought starters
1) Set up a one-day free vet clinic. Medicare-for-all pets.
2) Given the community / local politics bent to this ask, we could we hold a town hall over ‘pet friendliness’ to hear from locals what they’d like to see around the city and how they’d be willing to help create a more pet-friendly Portland / Vancouver.
3) Showcase Portlanders going above and beyond / over the top to take care of their pets (or even just the things they do with their pets to make them more comfortable, have fun with them, improve their lives)
4) Portlanders and pet owners everywhere are more than willing to come together to improve their city’s pet-friendly infrastructure. We should give them a branded online platform to find other willing pet lovers to take on small projects or organize to lobby the city government to improve pet friendliness in their areas.
