#feedthegood

To #FeedtheGood, Pedigree takes us on a hopeful walk 

It’s often terrible what we do to dogs. Loyal to a fault, they’re subject to our prejudices and sometimes even asked to fight ugly human battles (Exhibit A).

Speaking of the latter, by now it’s inarguable that since Trayvon Martin, the rage fuelling unspeakable racial tensions has blossomed to the surface of the American consciousness like a bloodstain, erupting most recently, and most dramatically, in Baltimore. In “The Walk”, Pedigree uses this state to illustrate something that is just as human as our compulsion to divide: The hope that kindness will win out and ultimately better connect us.

The ad follows a grumpy old white guy walking his dog in a minority-rich neighbourhood. His disdain for his neighbours—and maybe his fellow man in general—is obvious. So things don’t seem all that sunny when he approaches an oncoming, wary-faced black kid walking his pitbull.

But the ice cracks between them when they see how their dogs interact (for once in a way that doesn’t erupt in hysterical barking). Instant connectedness. The closer: “Dogs bring out the good in us. Pedigree brings out the good in them. Feed the good.” 

It’s difficult and ill-advised for advertisers to wade into this boiling pot, but we’ve rarely seen a treatment so delicately executed and moment-relevant, even if the “Pedigree” at the end smacks soundly of opportunism. Can we blame them if we need it? Though to be fair, this ad would have served Pedigree better if it were only meant to remind us of one more thing that brings us together—without the marketing message. 

Crises and tragedies are always tasteless times to advertise, but good times to use platforms of privilege to contribute something important—just for the sake of it, because we are all human and want the same things in the end.

Oh, well; courage comes in small steps.