As the 2016 Presidential election neared, our polarized political climate brought out the worst in many Americans. Determined to remind people we have more in common than not, we conducted a social experiment called “A Vote for Good.” We sent a woman wearing a Hillary shirt to a Trump rally with a “lost” dog. Then, sent her to a Hillary rally with a Trump shirt. The result was heartwarmingly positive – people on both sides found common ground through a mutual concern for dogs to help one another.

The video of our social experiment launched on OLV and Social channels during the final week of the election, as social conversations around the final days approached the peak (launched Wednesday, October 26th). We used the social launch to build buzz with media and influencers, earning hundreds of placements and millions of impressions as the polls approached. As the media coverage of the election reached its absolute peak on October 31 and Election Day itself, we aired the full 3-minute video during the nationwide election coverage on major news stations Fox News and CNN (including a slot on CNN directly following Trump’s victory speech). Further buzz generated this high-profile, high-relevance TV exposure helped to earn pickup and editorial coverage from major programs Good Morning America and Fox News, The Five, with both applauding Pedigree for their feel-good message of unity.

Given the spontaneous nature of the project and its fast-track development (being conducted and filmed at a late-campaign rally and launching in the final days of the election), we did not have specific Sales testing in place for this social experiment. However, the film helped to carry positive momentum from Pedigree’s 2016 campaign launch through the end of the year, which saw Pedigree pass their top competitor to become Dry Dog Food Category share leader for the first time in a decade.