Intro
In a saturated petcare market with increasing competition, transforming consumer perception is vital for sustainable growth. This case study explores how we leveraged cinema's unique immersive environment to reposition a disjointed collection of brands into a unified petcare authority that consumers genuinely connect with and trust.
Our strategic approach went beyond traditional advertising to redefine how the public perceives Britain's largest pet retailer, moving from a fragmented "Pet Tesco" image to an expert destination that understands and caters to every aspect of pet care, creating measurable business growth and lasting emotional connections with pet owners nationwide.
The Challenge
As Britain's largest pet retailer with a 30-year history of acquisitions, our client operated multiple consumer-facing propositions—retail, veterinary services, and grooming services—each with distinct identities. Despite high brand awareness (98%), many consumers perceived these as disjointed entities, failing to recognise them as a unified family or appreciate the retailer's position as a skilled, comprehensive pet care destination.
This fragmentation created a significant barrier to consideration. Non-loyal shoppers and potential customers weren't engaging; instead, they were exploring other options in a category experiencing unprecedented growth during the pandemic, which had triggered both increased competition and a surge in pet ownership.
The fundamental challenge was clear: How could we transform perception from a disconnected collection of brands to a unified, expert-led petcare authority that consumers would choose as their preferred destination?
Insight
Our research revealed a critical insight: the petcare market wasn't just about transactions; it was about relationships. Pet owners sought not merely products but comprehensive support throughout their pets' lives from a trusted, authoritative source.
Data showed that consumers craved emotional connection in their petcare choices, wanting to feel understood rather than simply served. This emotional dimension was particularly potent in cinema environments, where IPA Touchpoints research revealed that 78% of time spent puts viewers in a good mood—higher than any other medium.
We discovered that attention levels in cinema were consistent across all age groups, making it an ideal environment to foster deeper connections with diverse demographics of current and future pet owners. Research with Lumen ("Centre of Attention") demonstrated that a 60-second creative had an average viewable time of 59.4 seconds, with 97% of screen ad impressions viewed completely—offering unparalleled engagement opportunity.
Strategy
Our strategy centred on three key pillars:
- Unification: Consolidating previously disjointed brands under a cohesive, softer identity with clear positioning that emphasised unity and expertise.
- Authority Positioning: Establishing the brand as the definitive #1 choice for petcare through their industry-leading expertise and comprehensive service offering.
- Emotional Connection: Creating a powerful emotional link with pet owners that demonstrated genuine understanding of the special bond between pets and their humans.
We identified that cinema provided the perfect environment for this transformation—a high-attention, high-recall medium where audiences were receptive, relaxed and emotionally engaged. Converting admissions to TVRs highlighted the cost-efficient and incremental benefits of adding cinema to the wider media plan, while Data2Decisions research demonstrated a potential 12% multiplier effect for creative ads within a comprehensive media strategy.
Execution, Solution and Innovation
The execution centred around a strategic brand refresh with a new positioning: "We're All for Pets." This powerful statement positioned our client as an authoritative force for pets, extending beyond retail to highlight their core values and "reasons to believe"—expertise, valuable advice, and positive impact on pets' lives.
The previous collection of multi-coloured, inconsistent logos was replaced with a cohesive, contemporary brand identity that visually unified all services under one recognisable style.
For the launch campaign, we leveraged cinema's immersive quality with a 60-second creative that connected emotionally with pet owners. The creative cleverly used Meatloaf's iconic "I Would Do Anything For Love" as a nod to the deep bond between pets and their owners, showcasing moments of connection between people and their pets in ways that demonstrated understanding and expertise.
The campaign ran across the full Digital Cinema Media estate, targeting 3.6 million admissions over six weeks. We strategically focused on blockbuster films with broad "family" appeal like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "The Little Mermaid," ensuring wide demographic reach across diverse age groups of current and potential pet owners.
Result and Business Effect
The cinema campaign delivered exceptional results across brand perception, customer engagement and business impact:
- Unified Brand Recognition: 74% of consumers recognised that the family of brands were clearly part of one united group—a vital metric in driving brand preference and facilitating seamless transition between services.
- Perception Shift: 85% agreed the campaign positioned the brand as the industry leader in petcare, with post-campaign association overwhelmingly linked to positive attributes: Friendly, Caring, Helpful, Trustworthy, and Understanding.
- Emotional Connection: 85% of consumers felt the brand understood them and their pet's needs—a significant 9% increase that demonstrated successful emotional engagement.
- Creative Impact: 82% of the audience expressed liking for the creative, contributing to a remarkable 70% increase in brand recall.
- Business Growth: Most importantly, 80% of those surveyed took tangible action after seeing the campaign, engaging with the brand through shopping, signing up for services, or visiting stores.
The results validate our strategic approach in repositioning the brand as the go-to petcare authority, fostering strong connections with customers, and driving substantial business growth through the emotional, high-attention environment that only cinema can provide.
