Placing our dispensers in parks and live music events put us in the midst of San Francisco’s pet owners.

The SPCA’s services include animal sterilization, so our never-before-seen “safe pet sex” premise was the perfect platform for their message. And while the notion of a condom for dogs and cats is outrageous, it’s just plausible enough that people stopped and asked themselves whether it was possible.

That moment, and people’s realization that they’d been fooled, gave this campaign its magic — a light-hearted, provocative approach, perfectly attuned to the subject matter, our audience, and the progressive values of the city itself.

Leveraging our relationships with printing partners, production vendors, and a video director brought our campaign to life for under US$10,000. Concealed cameras in our Animal Instincts dispensers captured people’s reactions and propelled the idea (and the SPCA’s message) across media and social platforms.

Within 36 hours of deploying our dispensers, we had seen over 30,000 visits to our companion website and 2,500+ Facebook shares, and our viral tale had reached 166 countries. “Pet condoms” quickly became the #1 trending topic on Reddit.

Most important, spay and neuter appointments at the SPCA have been booked solid ever since.