Southern Cross Pet Insurance: Too Hot To Trot

Southern Cross Pet Insurance, in collaboration with MBM and TBWA, has launched dynamic "Pet Paw-casts" to drive awareness of the dangers of summer temperatures for our furry friends. A growing issue seen in vet clinics across Aotearoa is heat exhaustion related issues such as heat stroke, dehydration and burnt paws caused by pet owners walking their dogs in the middle of the day. MBM looked into this interesting safety tip from Kerri and discovered it was unfortunately a little known danger to many pet owners. Most people are not very conscious of pavement temperatures and the implications it can have on their pets’ poor paws. This sparked a brilliant idea – what better way to reflect the brand values of Southern Cross of helping pets to live their best lives than by educating dog owners across the country about when it is safe to walk outside? In a New Zealand first, Southern Cross has partnered with MBM and Lumo to activate temperature triggered dynamic messaging which predicts pavement temperatures across the country. Using digital billboards, pet owners will get a heads up when they should keep their furry friends cool, or when it’s OK to go for a walk during the day. Met Service forecast data is accessed in real-time, and a specially developed algorithm then calculates the approximate pavement temperature based on the air temperature across the day and accompanying analysis into corresponding tarseal and sand temperatures. The billboards will display whether it’s “cool to go walkies” (when the temperature is below 21°C), or “too hot to trot” (when it’s above 21°C). Waterfront areas can be particularly concerning as dogs are often on short leads and there’s little shade. That’s why the campaign is focusing on summer waterfront hot spots, like Tamaki Drive in Auckland, Oriental Bay in Wellington, and Sumner Promenade in Christchurch, with social media posts geo-targeted to these locations. The unique algorithm is also used to drive dynamic audio across iHeart radio. This allows Southern Cross to deliver “Pet-pawcasts” to dog walkers while they are out and about and listening to iHeart radio; warning them if it’s “too hot to trot” in the moment, based on their specific location.