case study 1

Worming your way into the newspapers with Ken Livingstone

Regular worming of cats and dogs may not be altogether the most palatable subject known to man, but that was the message pet care company Sherleys wanted to get across to encourage responsible pet ownership during its annual Worm Awareness Week in April 2000.

Sherleys, a manufacturer and distributor of pet care products to the independent retail pet sector, had experienced a certain media reluctance to cover the topic in the past. Focus Communications was tasked with taking this unsavoury topic and turning it into something that would attract both the national and consumer press.

In order to create the most appropriate environment for the event, we looked at both the educational aspects of the campaign and also the need to provide the media with some good interview and picture opportunities. In close partnership with Sherleys' pet care experts Dr Sue Huggett and Sandra Wilson, we designed and implemented the event from start to finish.

We believed the best approach was to launch the week in spectacular style, at a suitable London venue, and to provide a major photo opportunity for the media. For this, we needed a celebrity to get the Week underway, but without the budget to pay for a celebrity appearance, we knew this was no easy task. London Mayoral wannabe Ken Livingstone was in full campaigning mode at the time and, as a pet lover himself, was the perfect candidate for us to approach. Ken proved more than happy to go along with our plans, and turned up on April 10th, complete with campaign bus, at the suitably named Isle of Dogs, identified and secured after a comprehensive venue search of London-based locations.

As an added bonus for the media, Focus consultants Athena Dinar and Julie Moir even donned dog and cat costumes - in her attention-grabbing designer Dalmatian outfit, Athena proved to be a hit with many picture editors as she took tea with Ken on a park bench!

On April 10th, a class of local schoolchildren and pet owning members of the public, joined the President of The National Dog Warden's Association (who endorsed the campaign), along with local dog wardens and their dogs, to hear Ken speak about the responsibilities of Londoners as pet owners. After Ken had released scores of promotional 'worm branded' balloons into the skies over London (following Focus Communications' negotiations with London City Airport!), he proved a willing interviewee to the numerous media clamouring for his attention.

Sherleys pet care experts were on hand giving out free advice packs, and helping with specialist personal advice to pet owners present. And the children were treated to an educational display of worms, with the chance to get a good close up look at worms in a jar!

The event was backed up with supplementary material prepared and issued to the media by Focus Communications, including a list of Doggies dos and don'ts; a selection of photographs showing how, and how not, to worm your dog and cat, and photographs of dog and cat worms. We issued press releases both before and after the event, and also prepared a central release that was distributed by the National Dog Warden's Association to ensure that they also received coverage for their part in the campaign.

The decision to go with a single launch as the centrepiece of the campaign resulted in coverage in six national newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, London Evening Standard, Financial Times, The Express, Mail on Sunday, and a front page photograph in The Independent. Television mentions included a five-minute slot on Nickelodeon News, and some interviews on Swedish TV.

Regional press showed a keen interest, with much coverage as a result of the joint release with the National Dog Warden's Association. The famous Dalmatian/Ken photo even got an airing on the BBC's Have I Got News for You!

Even more importantly, sales of Sherleys' flea and worming products were up by 162 % during the month of the campaign, and Sherleys was awarded second prize in the Best Promotion category of the EMAP Pet Care Awards 2000 for this project.