At the beginning of 2015 the global Pedigree ® creative platform Feed the goodTM was launched. It is built around the insight that dogs help bring out the inner good in people. In Russia we produced a TVC copy which successfully presented the platform locally.

Brief

The brief was to amplify the global creative platform Feed the goodTM and create a campaign through emphasizing the positive impact that dogs have on people.

Objectives

The key objective was to build more respect towards Pedigree® as a culturally valuable and socially responsible brand in Russia, building a brand perception that goes far beyond a simple bag of dog food.

We filmed a unique social experiment for which we inspired a real dog hotel to hire 5 guys with Down syndrome. The aim of the experiment was to destroy an unfair and widely popular Russian belief that people with Down syndrome can’t work. We assumed that if we hire these people in a field where they won’t be judged they would cope and prove society wrong.

”pUp syndrome” tells an inspiring story about the gradual progress of 5 young people with Down syndrome working in dog hotel “Hors” alongside dogs - who accept everyone just as they are.

The story flow is based on interviews of the participants: psychologists, mothers, dog hotel personnel. It became clear to everyone that kind nature of dogs helped the guys to open up and reveal their potential.

The film proves the assumption and spotlights the conclusion: people with Down syndrome deserve to be employed.

We created a unique social experiment and filmed it throughout its length. This is how “pUp syndrome” film came into being. It tells an inspiring story about the gradual progress of 5 young people with Down syndrome working in dog hotel “Hors” alongside dogs. The film shows that unlike Russian employers, dogs don’t see a disability and accept the young employees just as they are.

The story flow is built on interviews of the project participants: psychologists, mothers, dog hotel staff. During the project it became clear to everyone that the dogs’ kind nature helped the guys open up and reveal their professional potential.

The film spotlights the conclusion: people with Down syndrome deserve to be employed.

It was launched on Russian YouTube on World Down Syndrome Day and supported by a widescale PR campaign.