Pedigree launches new kid-to-canine reading programme ‘Pedigree Dogphonics’ via Colenso
Pedigree has launched Pedigree Dogphonics books via Colenso BBDO, aimed to help boost the confidence and literacy of children by encouraging them to read to a dog.
The fear of reading aloud and failing is proven to inhibit literacy amongst children. Over the last 2 years, child literacy rates have declined [1] with home learning resulting in a decrease in practice reading aloud and confidence. With the belief that dogs bring out the best in humans, Pedigree has launched a reading programme that consists of 5 books, specifically designed to be read to a good listener, someone who’s extremely patient, full of love and never judgemental. A dog.
A study co-created by Pedigree and The Waltham Petcare Science Institute found that having a dog as a listener can improve a child’s sense of confidence, moderate feelings of anxiety, and provide support [2].
Says Dr. Emma Woodward, child and educational psychologist: “All kids need to learn to read, but for some this experience can become fraught with a sense of ‘not being a good reader’ so they lose confidence and motivation and then with it, the sense of joy that reading stories can bring. The Pedigree Dogphonics books provide an opportunity for kids to fall in love with reading without the pressure of feeling they need to achieve.”
Says Fabio Alings, Pedigree global brand director at Mars: “Our purpose at Pedigree is to ‘feed the good’ dogs bring to the world. Hence, we have a long history of creatively celebrating not only how we as humans literally ‘feed the good’ in dogs, but how dogs also ‘feed the good’ in humans, as their lovable innocence brings out the best in us. The Pedigree Dogphonics book set perfectly captures the essence of that purpose: Dogs boosting the confidence of children who are learning to read, and young readers returning that favor by helping shelter dogs find a loving home to call their own.”
Says Maria Devereux, CIO at Colenso: “Reading anxiety is common, especially at an age where children are going through behavioral changes and developing their own emotional processes. The Waltham Institute has given Pedigree Dogphonics books the science to succeed and the commitment to design craft and storytelling from the Colenso team, past and present – Levi, Dave, Rob and Charlie has taken that educational science to another level.”
The Pedigree Dogphonics programme is launching in New Zealand, with titles such as ‘It Was Not Me, I Did Not Eat The Alphabet’ and ‘Where Are My Pants?’. The book set will be made available at select bookstores, with digital versions available from Amazon.com. All proceeds from book sales go towards rehoming shelter dogs.
VIEW THE PEDIGREE DOGPHONICS BOOKS
Client: Mars
Client: Global Brand Director, Fabio Alings
Client: Marketing Manager – Pet, Cormac Van Den Hoofdakker
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Production Company: Production Partners
Media Agency: WAVEMAKER
Any other partners: Child, Educational & Community Psychologist, Dr. Emma Woodward
[1]Unicef Office of Research – Innocenti (2020) COVID-19: Effects of school closures on foundational skills and promising practices for monitoring and mitigating learning loss. https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/papers/10.18356/25206796-2020-13/read
[2] Nancy R. Gee (2020) The child-animal bond. https://vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/scientific/the-child-animal-bond
9 Comments
Such a tremendous labour of love. Amazing.
Someone please explain why my dog food is teaching my kids how to read?
Colenso are using ideas from within their own network now? On literally the same client??
New level of shamelessness
https://www.mumbrella.asia/2017/09/dogs-can-help-children-learn-read-suggests-campaign-bbdo-guerrero-pedigree
Must be gutting to see the idea already done 🙁
Weird they didn’t see it from their own network and same client too… A tough lesson in google homework.
Regardless, why can’t kids just use any old book to read to dogs? Feels more like a campaign for kids than dogs.
The Colenso/Pedigree golden age seems to be distant history. K9FM/Child Replacement etc
Even if this was an original idea, which it clearly isn’t, it would be a far better campaign for some sort of kids brand than pet food.
it’s pretty dog shyte, obviously – don’t fall for this type of work people
Whoops. Should have googled it first…
When is the Cannes deadline again?
There is remaking work purely to try and win awards and then there is…… Same network, same client and from literally a few years ago.
Genuinely embarrassing for all involved. Really really embarrassing.
And it is going to crash and burn at every award show the moment anyone in the jury room pulls out a phone and spends 15 seconds googling.