2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenges and Goals:
Every year thousands of dogs die or suffer serious injury after being left in hot vehicles. Canadian dog treat company, Earth Paws, wanted to educate people on this deadly trend and demonstrate just how dangerous a hot car can get during the summer. As an independent retailer, it only had a limited budget to spread this message.

Insights and Strategy:
People often forget the extreme temperatures a car can reach in the summer. During the hottest month of the year, the inside of a vehicle can rise up to 70°C. That’s hot enough to bake a dog treat.

Execution:
Earth Paws launched a brand new line of dog treats - Hot Hounds - baked entirely with the internal heat of a car on a hot summer day. Formulated and prepared by their expert chef, the treats went on sale during the hottest month of the year, both in-store and online.

The carefully crafted package design appeared deceivingly cute on the surface, but a closer look revealed a disturbing image of a puppy in flames along with a stark message about summer dog safety. All these elements combined together to create a dynamic campaign designed to lower a dog owner’s defences and make them think twice about leaving their pet in a hot vehicle.

Result:
Hot Hounds received positive coverage from national and international press, including Global TV, Now This, and Brand New. And in the wake of the campaign, British Columbia experienced a 30% decrease of dogs being left in hot vehicles, compared to the previous year.

Credits

Creative Director: Ian Grais, Chris Staples, Leia Rogers, Hans Thiessen
Art Director: Dosh Osholowu, Ashley Visvanathan
Designer: Ashley Visvanathan
Copywriter: Daniel DeBacker, Ella Dalling
Director of Photography: Bill Hawley, Brian Ceci, Eric Arnold, Dosh Osholowu
Editor: Alijah Monckton
Producer: Scott Russell, Karen Lai
Amplification Strategist: Aliz Tennant, Samantha Cheng, Darren Yada
Amplification Coordinator: Brett Young
3D Printing: Ken Malley
Printer: Digitech Printing
Account Director: Lindsay Magrane
Account Manager: Shelby Stefaniuk