Milk-Bone Canine Cruiser Tour

Client/BrandKraft Foods' Milk-BoneLead AgencyPierce Promotions and Event ManagementTime Frame March-July 2005ObjectivesMilk-Bone launched new positioning in 2005 focused on how its snacks drive mutual excitement for pet parents and dogs, and forge stronger connections between them. This fun, nationwide canine casting call gave Milk-Bone the opportunity to reach out to the target from an emotionally memorable platform. This approach allowed consumers to feel the brand as a strong supporter of the amazing bond between dog and owner. It also allowed the brand to deepen existing loyalty among those who purchase Milk-Bone, encourage brand awareness and drive trial with a host of new consumers eager to help their canine companion be the new face of Milk-Bone.Objectives:Generate a 5% increase in percentage of pet parents who say Milk-Bone "makes my dog very excited" during the promotion period.Generate a high level of pet parent involvement by targeting 25,000 photo entries and 15 million media impressions.Increase dollar share for Milk-Bone Traditional Biscuits by 0.3 share points during promotion period (March-July 2005) vs. the pre-promotion period (January-February 2005).Target AudiencePet parents nationwide.StrategyPet parents were able to visit the "Canine Cruiser" at malls, major consumer events, key retailers, dog parks, canine agility trials and dog shows. The mobile tour included more than 100 retail stops, effectively leveraging tour stops with product sell-in at these retailers. On-site activities included:a Milk-Bone photo studio where dogs could have their pictures taken for the contest and uploaded immediately to Milk-Bone.com for entry and/or custom printouts.a Red Carpet Experience created runway flooring that led to a "green room" area with grooming tools, fresh water bowls and Milk-Bone snacks and gave pet parents a pre-photo pampering opportunity.a photo gallery of recent "Make Your Dog Famous" entrants.an interactive Milk-Bone game wheel, which challenged consumers with fun trivia and tricks for their dogs.an e-mail postcard station and contest alert for consumers to send invitations to friends and family, creating additional viral buzz.Important FactorsOn-site e-mailing capabilities allowed pet parents to send themselves, family and friends reminders to enter the contest and forward their photo for custom-color printouts at home. The contest photo stations allowed pet parents to obtain professional, digital photos of their dogs with which they also could enter the contest. A canvassing campaign was also implemented at local destinations to further reach consumers, educating them about and inviting them to the events. The campaign included e-mail, poster and table card placement as well as telephone communication to more than 75 pet-related businesses in each market. Additional pre-promotional support occurred via the in-market staffer network of "influencers." Select staff would distribute e-mail and place telephone calls to their network of dog-loving friends and family, encouraging them to sign up for the contest. Milk-Bone also launched a dedicated PR campaign to create national and local media awareness and drive attendance. ResultsObjective 1: Milk-Bone increased the percentage of consumers who stated that Milk-Bone "makes my dog very excited" during promotion period by 5.3%. This result exceeded the objective (Source: Arbor tracking). Objective 2: Received nearly 47,000 contest entries (88% higher than objective).Achieved 73 million media impressions (387% higher objective). Announced winners live on national television (The Today Show), generating 6.4 million impressions(Source: Capita, Coyne Public Relations).Objective 3:Milk-Bone Traditional Biscuits increased its dollar share by 0.4 points during the promotion period vs. pre-promotion, which exceeded the objective (Source: Nielsen).

Milk-Bone Canine Cruiser Tour

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