What it had to solve
Newly appointed agency Bastion had to make Bravecto's longer-lasting brand benefit meaningful and motivating to owners, to drive brand request, switching and trial against all-in-one rivals.
The idea
Pets on screen recommend Bravecto through the assistive talking-pet tech meme, so the longer-lasting benefit is pitched by the ones who depend on it
How it works
An integrated campaign across TV, BVOD, social, digital and D2C, built on the insight that two thirds of pet parents talk to their pets as if they can understand, leveraging the popular social-media trope of assistive tech that lets pets talk. It went live in Australia on 20 August 2023.
What it did
No results were reported at launch. The campaign is Bastion's first work since winning the MSD Animal Health account in a competitive pitch, establishing a competing heuristic: longer-lasting Bravecto is recommended by vets, and pets.
Background
In August 2023, MSD Animal Health and Bastion launched an integrated campaign for Bravecto flea and paralysis tick protection across TV, BVOD, social, digital and D2C. It was Bastion's first work since winning the MSD Animal Health account in a competitive pitch, making the agency responsible for all creative and digital for Bravecto.
The brief was to compete in a confusing category where 'all in one' propositions from rivals were increasingly the easy choice for owners, and to make Bravecto's longer-lasting benefit more meaningful and motivating, driving brand request, switching and trial. Bastion's answer was a competing heuristic that is hard to beat: longer-lasting Bravecto is recommended by vets, and pets.
The campaign taps the insight that two thirds of pet parents talk to their pets as if they can understand, and leans on the popular social-media trope of assistive tech that lets pets talk. CCO Simon Langley: who better to argue for flea and tick prevention than the very pets who depend on it.
Why it lands
The talking-pet trope is pre-loved on social media, so the mechanic lands as fun rather than far-fetched.
Letting the pet vouch for its own protection reframes a product benefit as an act of care.
A 'vets and pets recommend it' heuristic gives owners a simple decision rule against all-in-one rivals.
A lighthearted, well-branded execution keeps the brand name attached when the meme travels.
What you can take
In a category where rivals own 'easy', reframe the choice itself rather than shouting benefits — here the beneficiary of the product makes the pitch.
Since then
The campaign went live in Australia on 20 August 2023; no performance figures were reported in the launch coverage.
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