Pedigree has come up with a way to help pet owners find Rover or Whiskers when they go missing.
A new Pedigree Found app, already tested in New Zealand and coming to the U.S. in 2016, has proven effective in expediting lost pet retrieval. The app bills itself as “the lost dog alert that moves faster than your dog.”
Developed by New Zealand-based creative agency Colenso BBDO in collaboration with Google, the app “successfully helped reunite around 60 families with their lost dogs in the first six months that it has been available, with an average rescue time of 4.5 hours.”
Finding those pets through a mobile broadcast could save trees, too — no more paper fliers blanketing the neighborhood if the app does the job.
How does it work?
“Pedigree Found users are asked to first pre-register their dog with a photo and contact information,” explained psfk. “Then, if their dog goes missing, it takes just one click to send a free lost dog banner ad featuring their furry friend across the Google Display Network in a 1.5-mile radius. In addition to the digital display banners, other Pedigree Found users will receive a push notification announcing the missing dog.”
Observers say the app concept could eventually be used to help find lost children or locate elderly people with Alzheimer’s.
“Found is a great example of how a brand can live their values through the creative use of mobile technology,” said Roberta Macdonald, Head of Creative Agency Engagement for Google Australia/New Zealand. “Projects like Found have an incredible impact on people, delivering a simple way to take instant action during a stressful experience.”