A digital first campaign, this project’s aim was to drive awareness of John Lewis’ Pet Insurance amongst customers to both John Lewis & Waitrose brands. From an in-house perspective, I creatively led the visual strategy and managed the production of all assets.

Key insights from customer profiles suggested that awareness and consideration were extremely low, and that due to the nature of the product, customers were unlikely to switch providers due to pre-existing conditions. The strategy leveraged peak puppy and kitten purchase timings, during May to August, with an adaptable data driven creative solution which measured and automated the optimal marketing message and mix. This allowed us to get the most effective creative in front of the most receptive customers.

Client: John Lewis
Agency: In-house
Category: Integrated campaign
Skills: Integrated art direction for video, stills and illustrations, UX design, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator

Creative Storytelling

Our dogs and cats take on different roles when they are with different members of the family. Through exploring these different relationships this campaign connected with the life of a pet owner. Using sentimental charm and humour, four character segments were identified; The Alarm Clock, The Sidekick, The Personal Trainer, and The Co-worker.

The character segments were explored through 6” films and combined in one long 20” film. With multiple creatives and multiple channels, we were able to keep the creative fresh, targeted and aligning to different audience personalities/profiles for maximum campaign effectiveness. 

Videos & Stills

Working with a cast of adults, children, dogs and cats the videos and stills were both shot on location within time and budget. Working closely with the team at adam&eveDDB, we juggled resources and regulations to maximise productivity on set. Checking selects on site ensured all digital and print formats were suitable and accounted for. From DL leaflets to digital leaderboards, the imagery needed to be flexible enough to used across a large variety of media and in more than 180 assets. No children or animals were harmed in the process.

The Alarm Clock

The Sidekick

THE Personal Trainer

The Co-worker

Illustration & Animation

Understanding a dog’s body language can help interpret their mood and what they might be trying to communicate. These animations and illustrations were commissions for this campaign to bring to life abstract concepts and enrich the site’s editorial content.

Campaign Rollout

To support video activation, awareness was driven though Facebook, Instagram, YouTube videos, site content, display, social, PPC, affiliates, email, aggregators, public relations, website skins, carousel retargeting, DCO display banners, native content, and in-store activation. Tracking performance, optimising channel levels and engagement metrics throughout the campaign supported the objective to increase new business quotes by 300 quotes per week during the campaign period.

Key results:

• 2.4 million completed video views

• HuffPost content reached 32 million with zero media spend

• Increased market share YoY

• Site visits up 57% versus same period last year

• +15% uplift in average weekly quotes