Description
After mysterious teasers circulated on social media and images blanketed the streets of São Paulo, PEDIGREE®, the leading brand in dog food, came out as the brand behind the platform. The AI-driven initiative made a splash by promising a friend to whoever used it; now it’s been revealed to be an innovative tool for connecting people with dogs in need of a home, reinforcing the brand’s longtime commitment to responsible adoption.
The campaign, developed by AlmapBBDO, was inspired by the creative insight of advertising an AI service offering company and friendship. That way, it could spark conversations and capture the public’s attention, all while underscoring the value of the genuine connection you can establish with a dog.
“The bond between people and dogs brings all sorts of benefits, from the joy of being greeted at the front door to the judgment-free companionship and unconditional affection they provide,” says Ricardo Marinho, marketing manager for PEDIGREE® at Mars Pet Nutrition Brasil. “In a world that puts a premium on well-being and authentic relationships, we used AI to lend even more visibility to a cause we’ve been supporting for 17 years with the program PEDIGREE® Adotar é Tudo de Bom, which has already helped over 88,000 animals find a home.”
Studies from the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, a Mars Petcare research hub with a 60-year track record and over 600 published scientific papers, show that 86% of people say that pets positively impact their mental health, 69% say pets help reduce stress and anxiety, and 63% consider them to be true friends,¹ in yet another reinforcement of just how beneficial it is to share your life with an animal.
AI that facilitates adoptions
melhoramigo.ia is a platform that uses a welcoming conversational experience to help people find dogs available for adoption at nearby NGOs. Not only does it help users search for animals, the tool provides a “compatibility test” between the would-be adopter and available dogs, based on questions that gauge the user’s personality to find the dog that best fits their lifestyle.
Two-stage campaign
The initial phase of the campaign rolled out a series of striking, black-and-white pieces across some of São Paulo’s busiest and most iconic locations, including the Sé and Luz stations and bus shelters on Avenida Faria Lima and Avenida Paulista, as well as online content – all without the brand’s name attached. This approach sparked the public’s curiosity by announcing the rollout of a mysterious artificial intelligence service promising to help people find their new best friend.
On social media, the influencer Felca, one of Brazil’s leading and most impactful influencers who’s become famous for his commitment to social causes and for sharing his mental health struggles, went viral by reacting to the topic by questioning whether AI can be used for friendship – thus broadening the discussion and paving the way for the reveal.
In the second phase, the campaign pulled back the curtain on PEDIGREE®, showing that artificial intelligence is no substitute for a real friend – but that, with the platform melhoramigo.ai, you can find a dog available for adoption who just might become your best friend.
“Our jumping-off point was a simple question – since AI can simulate so many relationships, why not use it to foster genuine friendship?” says Fernanda Portugal, Director of Client Services at AlmapBBDO. “Tech became a creative means of reinforcing something PEDIGREE® has been saying for years: that nothing can substitute the real love between a human and a dog.”
“When you get down to it, our campaign critiques A.I. friendships, but we’re also launching an A.I. that’s designed to do just that. So the film deliberately uses the language of the big techs to draw a contrast between artificial intelligence and real life,” explain Fernando Duarte and Henrique Del Lama, VPs of Creative at AlmapBBDO.
The initiative reinforces PEDIGREE®’s longtime commitment to the cause, and represents a next step in the legacy of the award-winning “Caramelo” campaign. The platform, which has already registered over 200 dogs, thanks to a partnership with Instituto AMPARA Animal, is poised to boost responsible adoption in Brazil by offering a happy ending for countless animals in search of a loving home.
This professional campaign titled 'Melhor Amigo AI (Best Friend AI)' was published in Brazil in March, 2026. It was created for the brand: Pedigree, by ad agency: AlmapBBDO. This Experiential and Integrated media campaign is related to the Pets industry and contains 5 media assets. It was submitted 30 minutes ago.
Credits
Agency: AlmapBBDO
Campaign: Melhor Amigo AI
Client: Mars
Product: Pedigree
President & CEO: Filipe Bartholomeu
Chief Creative Officer (CCO): Pernil
Creative Vice Presidents: Fernando Duarte and Henrique Del Lama
Creative Team: Daniel Trimer, Gus Souza, and Guto Merino
Audiovisual Production: Diego Villas Boas, Victor Alloza, and Camila Graf
Chief Operating Officer (COO): Rafaela Alves
Account Management: Camilla Massari, Fernanda Portugal, Julia Marques, and Cynthia Bertoli
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO): João Gabriel Fernandes
Strategy: David Gross, Isabella Ayub, and Najara Bartolo
Special Projects: Julia Newman and Marilia Alves
Digital Production: Lilian Cavallini, Juliana Sousa, and Benext.ai
Art Buyers: Tereza Setti and Flávia Padrão
Client Approval (Mars): Natalia Ball, Fabio Aligns, Ignacio Inda, Rodrigo Alfieri, Ricardo Marinho, Clara Barin, Marina Moresco, and Nathália de Angelis
PR: AlmapBBDO and Giusti
PR Agency: Weber Shandwick
Consumer Vice President: Laura Chiavenato
Senior Manager: Ariane Oliveira
Senior Account Executives: Ana Sciena and Natalia Iponema
Intern: Lais Gomes
Content & Media Agency: DPZ
Business & Projects: Isabel Rudge, Nathalia Ferreira, and Melina Busato
Content: Mariana Hasselman, Julia Cortizo, and Gabriela Passos
Media: Marcel Santos, Pedro Cunha, Rodrigo Ferreira, Thiago Bronel, and Isabela Tavares
Business Intelligence: Erica Nakamura, Bruna Monteiro, Matheus Severino, and Rafaela Alves
Influencer Agency: BR Media
Commercial: Paulo Fabricio, Andre Felix, and Pedro Perassoli
Planning: Pedro Dorta and Samira Chain
Account Management: Nicole Iasbech and Thais Vilanova
Business Development: Ana Shinyashiki
Illustrations
Production Company: Black Madre
Creative Director: André Maciel
Executive Director: Tina Castro
Planning: Le Alves, Beatriz Perrote, and Tommy Martins
Account Management: Camila Holzmann
Production: Laryssa Andrade and Felipe Ribs
Illustrators: Leandro Dexter and Leo Soares
Lettering: Ribeiro
AMPARA
President & Founder: Juliana Camargo
Co-founder & Executive Director: Raquel Facuri
Pedigree Program Manager (“Adotar é Tudo de Bom”): Luana Paola
Production Company: THE YOUTH
Executive Direction: Carol Cherobim, Eduardo Lubiazi, João Machado, and Yuri Maranhão
Executive Production: Carol Cherobim and Chico Pedreira
Account Management: Carol Cherobim, Camila Pires, and Lu Krasa
Production Coordination: Carol Cherobim and Stefanie Korb
Finance: Iza Lubiazi and Thiago Duarte
Directors: Vinicius Kluge and Janaína da Veiga
Assistant Director: Milton Gonçalves de Oliveira Filho
Director of Photography: Johann Stollmeier
Art Direction: André Gosmma
Casting: Renata Sheidt
Main Cast: Iamni Reche Bezerra, with pets Lucho Guida and Matilda
Supporting Cast: Danielly Francis Luchi Vieira and Duda; Rafaela Volpi Pedroso Gomes and Maria; Giulia and Luana Giovanella and Princesa; Amanda Caldas Pereira and Mole; Giulia Raffaela Bittencourt and Nala; Giovanna Duarte and Stella; Carolina Vieira Lowry and Tadeu Francisco; Camila de Brito Reynaldo and Rogerinho; Christian de Paula dos Santos and Doly; and Rosyane Mayre Pimenta Natal with Caramelo.
Production Director: Adri Lyra
Production Assistant: Mateus Martins
Production Runner: Camila Jaine Ferreira
Location Production: Daniane Almeida
Props: Rodrigo Bernardi
Wardrobe: Taciane Biehl Duarte
Makeup: Eliane Aptz
Catering: Laiz Roche and Kellyn Lino
1st AC: Rodrigo Gonçalo Fernandes de Jesus (Briza)
2nd AC: Adriano Santos Araujo
Video Assist: Carlos Eduardo Puchivailo
Head Electrician: Ricardo Pirolla
Electric Assistants: Leonardo Vinicius Vendrame Cichon and Matheus Henrique Alves de Oliveira
Key Grip: Flavio Romão dos Santos
Grip Assistant: Cleverson Gomes de Castro
Logger: Germano Carvalho Faria
On-set Veterinarian: Giulia Distefano
Animal Trainer: Adriana Gandolfi
Drivers: Carlos Alberto Dias and Roosevelt David Haidinger
Post-Production: COLOSSAL
Executive Post Producer: Dan Maia
Producer: Amanda de Oliveira and Mauricio “Kazu” Yamashita
Project Management: Amanda de Oliveira
Post-Production Coordinator: Nicole Lia Rêgo da Silva
Assistant Post Coordinator: Eduardo Harger
Finishing: Luciana Lima de Paula and Ricardo Jug
Editing: Henrique José and Luciana Lima de Paula
Designers: Eduardo Soldatti, Henrique Rocha, Bruno Guterres, and “Xinoby” Alexander Mojavi Dias
Additional Designers: Nuria Lima and Paulo Vaz
Motion Graphics: Scarnno, André “Ruivo” Alves Franco, Caique Moretto Lins Bezerra, Marcos Rigobello, Jhony Schimidt, Gabriel Rocha, and Guilherme Diniz
Color Grading: Johann Stollmeier
In Memoriam: Meg
Audio Production: Raw Audio
Music Direction: Hilton Raw
Music Production: Hilton Raw, Will Sebastião, Fernando Forni, Ricardo Pinda, and Rogerinho Pereira
Sound Design & Mix: Enrico Maccio and Philip Braunstein
Executive Producer: Carol Peternelli
Coordination: Robério Barbosa
