No more mixed feelings about mixed feeding

Background

Many pet owners only see wet food as a way to treat their dog or cat as opposed to being a part of the daily diet. But the scientific truth is that it’s very beneficial for pets to get a mix of both wet and dry food. Why? Because of the different sensorial experiences that come with the food’s shape, texture and aroma. And just like for humans, variation is key. So by applying a mixed feeding approach, mealtime becomes more exciting for your pet – while ensuring proper hydration.

Task

Royal Canin needed to create awareness of the benefits of mixed feeding on social media.

Solution

To tell a convincing story about the benefits of Mixed Feeding, that goes beyond spoiling, we took a deep dive into the sensorial experience of cats and dogs. Because not only do cats and dogs have a much keener sense of smell than humans do, but they also use it to taste their food. A fact that supports their need for food with a potent aroma, i.e. wet food. Further, knowing that cats are in fact desert animals, we learned that they are dependent on absorbing water via their food rather than simply drinking it. Knowing this, we wanted to make the social media content as delicious and sensory as a proper mixed feeding approach: The film concept ‘Sense and Sensibility’ zooms in on the cats and dogs in super slow motion. Showing what the human eye can’t grasp: How strangely captivating it is to see dogs and cats eating up close and how they take in and sense the food as they eat it.

The eye-catching 300 fps filming technique was spiced up with our fascinating facts about the senses of dogs and cats and why they need more aroma, moisture, and stimuli in their daily feeding routine.

The films ran on Facebook and Instagram in full length as well as in cutdown versions. Additionally, we ran a separate influencer track and activated Royal Canin’s loyalty programs with coordinated emails.

All of which left no-one with mixed feelings about mixed feeding.