Traditionally purchase decisions in this category are driven by the fickle taste buds of fussy cats and their perceived enjoyment of certain brands. While Sheba has always outperformed key competitors on positioning statements like ‘is irresistible to my cat’, it became evident that competing on ‘cat enjoyment’ alone was no longer enough.

When copycat products were increasing their taste credentials and charging upto 64% less for what was perceived to be a similar product, Sheba was in a precarious position as the premium priced brand. We were having to discount to maintain market share, something no ‘premium’ brand ever wants.

The Challenge? Build out Sheba’s offering in a new and distinct way and importantly, with a proposition that consumers would be willing to pay a price premium for.

The solution was simple, yet big enough to get the world to take notice.

Sheba put Hope on the map. Literally.

The world became our medium when Sheba created the world’s first billboard made from real, living, thriving coral.

In the coral triangle off Indonesia, Sheba used its Reef Star System to transform what once was a barren site of dead coral into a new reef the size of two Olympic swimming pools. When viewed from the air it spelt out a poignant message - HOPE.

But this wasn’t just a billboard, every part of the campaign gave people the chance to learn more or take part.

The reef became accessible to billions when it was given Historical Landmark status on Google Earth, Maps & Street View and with an innovative YouTube fundraiser, Sheba became a content creator and through ad revenue, we generated enough money for a crowdfunded reef.

With images of destruction and despair dominating global news - rainforests on fire and flash floods wiping away communities, it was clear why pessimism was rife. 89% of people said the world is getting worse and the crisis we face was feeling insurmountable. (TGI 2020)

But, unlike most climate stories, we were armed with real proof that there could be man-made solutions to man-made problems. Good news was our gift.

Sheba’s strategy was to use its positive progress as a call to arms, taking advantage of the power of momentum to not only raise the profile of reef restoration but to inspire and enable the world to take part. It was crucial that we didn’t just talk to consumers about what Sheba was doing, but ensure that anyone, anywhere could actively help.

With an ambition to give the world an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to reef restoration, every part of this impactful plan was designed to contribute to this purpose.

We ‘sparked interest’ with the powerful beauty of Hope Reef through PR, influencers, paid social and high impact OOH. A global first partnership with Google made the reef accessible to billions.

We ‘steered engagement’ by giving a mass audience the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to reef restoration by flipping the traditional brand to YouTube relationship. Sheba became the content creator, allowing ads to play on our Youtube content with all ad revenue generated donated to coral reef restoration.

Finally, we ‘showcased sustainable Sheba’ and gave cat owners the chance to take a vote in-aisle, with compelling online & in-store activations that encouraged them to choose sustainable cat food.

The campaign went live across the US, Australia, Asia, Russia, and Europe.

Sheba set out to have a positive impact on the future of fish, to increase brand salience and to grow sales.

The reef is thriving with 70% coral coverage, +300% fish abundance, +175% average fish size and +10% more species. Over 1 million people have explored Hope Reef on Google Maps and Sheba’s “Reef Star” System has been adopted by 5 countries, with 40,000sqm of reef regrown so far. With 20 million views, our YouTube ‘Channel That Grows Coral’ has raised enough funds for a new crowdfunded reef.

Global PR coverage resulted in 2.5billion earned impressions across major titles including BBC, Forbes and National Geographic and drove a 276% increase in positive social conversations about reef restoration. With this, brand awareness grew +17% and purchase intent by +14%.

Finally, with a campaign ROI of 308%, it’s proof you can build business value and make a meaningful difference.