PedigreeK9FM

Background

Pedigree's mission is to make the world a better place for dogs.

So, knowing that dogs get stressed when left at home alone, they decided to do something about it. Many owners leave the radio on to keep them company. But usually it's horrible human radio. So Pedigree thought it was time that dogs had a radio station specifically designed for them. So they launched K9FM.

Research shows that classical music calms dogs down, a relaxed voice will ease their separation anxiety, ambient noise will keep them stimulated, and what dogs love listening to most is their owners voice. So Pedigree brought all this together to create original content that plays 24 hours a day on 87.7 K9FM.

Idea

Hours of original content were created to play all day, every day.

Classical music calmed dogs down, ambient sounds kept them stimulated and a relaxed human voice eased their separation anxieties.

Canine consultant Jess Allsopp helped with the programming, which included virtual outings, dog stories and a bit of cat hate.

The most popular shows were:

• Hey Boy: Dog owners could call in and send a message of love to their homebound hounds.
• Talkies: This chat show tackled life's big questions, like, 'Where is the ball, really?'
• Virtual Outings: How to leave the house without leaving the house.
• Fetch In The Park: A throw-by-throw commentary on K9FM Sport.

K9FM was launched on 87.7FM and and streamed online via http://pedigreek9fm.com Dog owners were reached at local trade outlets, doggy day-care centres and dog parks.

The whole country was told about the station via national TV and radio coverage.

Dog-loving influencers and media were given personalised K9FM branded merchandise for them and their dogs.

Results

Not yet known.

Our Thoughts

I have three dogs and one of them is as nutty as an Alpine breakfast. If you aren’t a dog owner you will think this idea is a bit absurd and maybe quite funny. But

I know it is absolute genius. Dogs get easily spooked and hearing the sound of human voices, listening to soothing music rather than manic rock and roll, this all makes a difference. My mad dog has been expensively destructive when he has been left alone and I am pretty sure that K9FM would have helped.

This team really did get to know their target audience and what they think and feel. I also liked the bits for humans, such as the earnest debate on “When does a stick become a log.”