Hau-Hau Champion's special offer gave dogs the chance to taste food before making a purchase decision
Hau-Hau Champion's innovative special food offer in Helsinki's Kamppi Shopping Centre gave dog owners the opportunity to bring their pets to taste the food before making a purchase decision. A tasting machine using artificial intelligence and innovative technology was combined with digital outdoor advertising. The campaign served as a pilot project to reduce waste from dog food.
Client: Hau-Hau Champion
Campaign objective: to offer dogs the opportunity to taste food before making a purchase decision using technology
Target group: consumers who want to reduce waste from dog food
Advertising space: Shopping Digital Kamppi, special production
Campaign period: 29.02.2024
A pilot project by Finnish dog food manufacturer Hau-Hau Champion was reportedly the world's first AI-powered dog tasting machine. This creative and unique prototype attracted dog owners to taste food for their pets.
The aim of the campaign was to help owners choose the right dog food to share with their beloved pets, thus reducing dog food waste. Marketing agency TBWA\Helsinki was responsible for the concept and the NEXT innovation unit of the agency was behind the implementation.
"Dog food advertising is invariably targeted at dog owners, although the actual customer is of course the dog, who also decides whether the food is good or not. And it always isn't. This special project was designed specifically for dogs - using their most powerful senses of hearing, smell and taste. When the machine dispensed the dry food into a cup, the dog could taste it and the owner could quickly see if the dog liked it," says Mikko Kaivo-oja, Creative Director of marketing agency TBWA\Helsinki.
"The digital advertising surface showed the owner what food was available in the cup and the owner could immediately go food shopping via the QR code on the screen. The implementation delighted both dogs and owners and attracted media attention not only in Finland but also in countries such as the United States and Asia," says Kaivo-oja.
Fun design combined with cutting-edge technology
The design of the tasting machine was fun, unique and eye-catching. The frame was made of wood and the design was reminiscent of the doghouse in comic books. Our eye-level Portrait surface in Kampi Shopping Centre allowed us to combine modern technology with spectacular digital advertising in a shopping environment.
The state-of-the-art vending machine offers an easy, practical and safe experience for feeding dogs. It detects the arrival of a dog at the dispenser using Google's Tensorflow AI, which can recognise over 60% of dog breeds, and dispenses the food into the cup. At the end of the feeding session, the device detects the exit of the pet and then cleans the dispenser with a disinfecting UV light, ensuring hygiene and safety for the dogs.
Distinctiveness in a real-world context
Specialised implementations allow innovative and consumer-oriented campaigns to be carried out. They serve as a cost-effective and competitive advantage opportunity for brand marketing.
The brand and its benefits can be brought to the consumer's point of contact, where advertising is perceived with an open mind.
According to the survey, 7 out of 10 consumers are open to advertising in shopping centres and 43% of consumers shop in shopping centres because they can physically see the product.
Talking points and impressions
A small-scale, short-term campaign can become a high-profile, talking point phenomenon. At its best, a special product can stimulate conversation and debate beyond the campaign's time and place. At the same time, it leaves a strong imprint on consumers' minds. In other words, activities such as the Hau-Hau Champion tasting machine are a great addition to brand marketing.
Source: 1) Tapestry Research, 2020