Pedigree: A Dog's Story

Knowing where and how to pat your pooch may seem like something that should come naturally. However, based on the increasing number of children bitten by family dogs each year, it’s clear that some simple pointers could save injuries and even lives (of both children and dogs).

We were approached by agency Colenso BBDO in Auckland to collaborate on a digital experience for Pedigree that would help to reduce the number of dog bites, especially amongst children around the age of 6 who are statistically the most affected.

The experience needed to be fun, educational and easily accessible to as many people as possible, so it was decided that creating a free app for mobile and tablets would be the most effective route.

Building the app took an enormous amount of creativity and collaboration, especially with a timeline that had been shortened to a yelp-inducing 2 months.

"Luckily we had all the talent we needed within the Watermark family, including working with our technology partners Roam Creative, who we share studios with," said Watermark Creative Director David Way. “Without having Roam working in the same studio as us, we would never have achieved the result we did.”

The Cannes Lion nominated app has been an incredible success. As well as achieving the number one spot in the New Zealand free kid’s app category just weeks after launch it has been adopted by the education board as part of the official curriculum. Currently, there are plans to have the app translated into other languages for international audiences.

“The app is a testament to Watermark’s approach and their willingness to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Aaron Turk, Digital Creative Director at Colenso BBDO. “They have an innate ability to craft beautiful images that fuel the imagination, combined with a solid understanding of interactive storytelling.”

You can download the app here for iOS users or here for Android users.

Credits:

Watermark

Concept design, character designs (including dogs), artwork direction, artwork production, 2D animation, 3D animation, UX design, technical design

Roam

iOS & Android app development, app deployment

Colenso

Creative direction, dog behaviour research, music, sound effects, UI design, story, voice-over, PR & media.

Special thanks to Colenso for letting us share their video of the app!