Tech-Driven Compassion: What Brands Can Learn from Pedigree’s Adoptable Campaign

What if every banner, video, or display didn’t just sell, but served as an intelligent communicator of a brand’s values? In Pedigree’s case, brand value is a matter of care and concern for canine nutrition and welfare, and by extension, ending dog homelessness.

The Adoptable campaign flipped the ad-tech script by embedding real, adoptable shelter dogs directly into their digital media, thanks to a pioneering fusion of AI, 3D rendering, and real-time local targeting.

The campaign tackled a crucial challenge: how to use brand visibility not just for awareness but for direct social impact. Instead of showcasing generic golden retrievers, Pedigree wanted each viewer to see a real, adoptable dog from their own area. The result? A campaign where every ad was a potential forever home.

Creative Technology That Matters

At the campaign’s core was a proprietary AI pipeline designed to transform low-quality shelter photos into high-fidelity digital assets. Nexus Studios created a digital rig for each dog, generating consistent, pose-flexible 3D images for use across media platforms.

Rather than leaning fully on generative AI alone, the team built a hybrid system: using 3D models to preserve spatial accuracy and structure, then enhancing fur, eyes, and texture with diffusion AI models. This ensured that each dog looked authentic. Not like an AI-generated “approximation,” but a real animal someone might meet tomorrow at a shelter.

This wasn’t off-the-shelf tech. The developers constructed a custom bridge between procedural 3D workflows and generative AI layers — a first-of-its-kind creative pipeline.

Built for Local, Scaled for Global

What made Adoptable especially powerful was its hyper-local execution. Using real-time geo-targeting, the campaign ensured each ad featured a shelter dog near the viewer. When a dog was adopted, the campaign updated dynamically, removing them from rotation and featuring another.

Tested first in New Zealand, results came quickly: shelter traffic surged sixfold, 50% of featured dogs were adopted within two weeks, and adoption likelihood rose 12% among viewers. Most importantly, Pedigree repurposed its entire media budget to serve adoption directly.

This wasn’t a CSR side project. It was a redefinition of purpose marketing at scale.

In Conclusion

The Adoptable campaign demanded more than just technical brilliance; it required a fundamental mindset shift, one that applies to any creative technology venture aiming to break new ground.

1. Embrace a “healthy disregard for the impossible”
   As Nexus Studios’ Technical Director, Vegard Myklebust, put it, their team approached the ambitious pitch from Colenso BBDO with a bold attitude. In a fast-moving tech landscape, the fact that something hasn’t been done yet doesn’t mean it can’t be done now. Creative breakthroughs start with belief.
2. Mix and match tech with purpose
   A single tool can rarely solve a complex challenge. Adoptable succeeded by combining generative AI, 3D modeling, and real-time local targeting. Not for novelty’s sake, but to serve a meaningful goal. The result was a workflow tailored to impact, not trends.
3. Let purpose lead the process
   This campaign is a playbook for modern brand activism. It’s not about piggybacking on causes; it’s about making purpose the engine of the strategy. Adoptable reminds us that technology is most powerful when used to make marketing meaningful.