Dive Brief:

• Dog food brand Pedigree wants to keep the lines of dog adoption open during the COVID-19 shutdowns by launching a contactless pet adoption platform, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The Mars-owned brand is working with the Nashville Humane Association to develop Dogs on Zoom to help prospective pet owners search for adoptable dogs over video. Pedigree will pay for the full adoption costs as well as Zoom membership and equipment costs for the shelter for pets adopted during these sessions.
• The brand is kicking off the first virtual dog adoption event in Nashville today at 5 p.m. CT. Creative agency BBDO NY developed the effort, which includes the campaign website hub MeetYourNewDog.com.

Dive Insight:

Zoom conferencing has ramped up as a significant communication tool for consumers stuck at home during coronavirus lockdowns. Many people have turned to the videoconferencing app for work, school or virtual social gatherings, and Pedigree is the latest brand looking to tap into this usage surge with campaigns to help people maintain an air of normalcy and adopt a pet.

Pet adoptions have increased over the past few months as people look for companionship during shelter-at-home orders and are able to rear puppies while they're barred from most public venues. Pedigree has an opportunity to boost brand awareness and sales by getting in on the pet adoption process. The company is also strategically marketing itself early on in the pet-owner relationship, which may lay the groundwork for longer-term loyalty.

Additionally, by covering adoption costs, Pedigree has an opportunity to encourage consumers to opt-in and share data on demographics such as location, name and contact information. The brand could leverage this information to market to consumers across a pet's lifespan and begin to nurture an ongoing relationship. The video events on Zoom may even help Pedigree reach current pet owners not in the market to adopt a new pet, but who simply want to see cute animals online.

Brands across industries are similarly working to capitalize on the Zoom boom with fresh community-building campaigns. Restaurant chain Red Lobster created a series of 10 custom Zoom backgrounds to add ambience to fans' video calls, including a background that looks like the inside of a Red Lobster location, one that shows a lobster tank and another of the sun setting over the ocean. The backgrounds were part of a promotion for its takeout service as an option for date nights over the video app.