IAMS raises awareness of overweight dogs

To shine an unmissable light on the issue of overweight dogs, IAMS pet food partnered with a real-life overweight dog named Waylon to put his story on a huge stage this holiday season. The brand created a larger-than-life dog balloon – modeled after Waylon – that got "stuck" between two buildings en route to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade. Not actually an official entry in the parade, the two-story-tall balloon represents the many dogs across the country who are carrying extra weight.

It's one of the most pressing issues in pet health – over 59 per cent of American dogs are overweight or obese and most dog parents don't even realise it. That's why the IAMS brand is putting a spotlight on the issue of overweight dogs and helping pet parents navigate their own dogs' wellness journeys through science-based nutrition and additional pet health and wellness resources.

The wedged Waylon balloon was visible in Chicago's Loop neighborhood on Sunday, and prompted passersby to scan on-site QR codes driving them to the IAMS Healthy Weight Dog Hub, where they could learn more about Waylon's journey toward living a more active, healthier lifestyle and reaching a healthier weight with a combination of regular exercise, veterinary care and IAMS nutrition and tools. The hub contains a variety of resources and tools to help support all dogs and pet parents on their own wellness journeys, including tips for exercise and treating, a serving size calculator to help with portion control, and the IAMS Weight Assessment tool, which pet parents can use to determine if their dog is at a healthy weight by assessing their Body Condition Score.

Waylon was about 8 pounds overweight at a recent checkup, according to his veterinarian. Following his vet's recommendation, Waylon embarked on an overall wellness journey with two goals in mind: to reach a healthier weight and to participate in a local turkey trot event. Waylon and his pet parent aimed to achieve these goals through greater emphasis on exercise and spending time outdoors, and with nutritional support from the IAMS brand, focusing on portion control and changing his diet to IAMS Adult Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food.

"Many dog parents don't even know their pets are overweight and it's our mission at IAMS to help those dogs, like Waylon, live healthier lives," said Jean-Paul Jansen, chief marketing officer, Mars Pet Nutrition North America. "Showcasing Waylon's journey on this large stage is important to us because it's one many pet parents can relate to. We're committed to helping them move forward in their own wellness journeys by providing nutritional support and practical tools to better understand and help improve their pets' health and wellbeing."

When the IAMS brand asked for a bold idea to drive awareness around the issue of overweight dogs, we knew we had to go big, or even oversized,” said Richard Brim, chief creative officer, adam&eveDDB. “We were inspired to bring this issue to life in a visually stunning and emotional way, leading us to the perfect real-life dog, Waylon. We were proud to translate his journey into an unforgettable sight with the balloon. The balloon spectacle coupled with a deeper dive into Waylon's uplifting story felt like the perfect combination to get the attention of pet parents across the country.”

After following his veterinarian's recommended approach, Waylon's pet parent reports that he has lost weight and is continuing on his healthy weight journey. They even expect to achieve the goal of participating in a dog-friendly 5K together on Thanksgiving Day.

Pet parents inspired by Waylon's story can visit the IAMS Healthy Weight Dog Hub to check where their own dogs sit on the healthy weight spectrum and learn more about the different factors impacting weight. The hub offers a variety of resources and tools like tips for exercise and treating, a serving-size calculator to help with portion control, and details of specially formulated IAMS Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food. Made with delicious real farm-raised chicken, IAMS Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food is formulated with L-carnitine, an ingredient to help turn fat into energy in order to gradually help return dogs to a healthy weight when included as part of an overall wellness routine.

Credits

Client: Mars Inc. Brand: IAMS Project/Campaign Name: IAMS Presents: Waylon First Air Date: Nov 24, 2024

Client names and Job Titles:

Jean-Paul Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Pet Nutrition North America

Edwin Padilla – Global Brand VP, IAMS

Fawad Farrukh – VP, IAMS North America

Matt Darcy – Associate Brand Director, IAMS North America

Olivia Chlasta – Marketing Manager, IAMS Global

Rachel Dawson – Digital Ecosystem Manager, IAMS North America

Paul Kendall – Brand Manager, IAMS Global Lindsay Kordik – Senior Director, External Affairs, Mars Pet Nutrition North America

Wes Bottoms – Brand Communications Manager, Mars Pet Nutrition North America Bella Byrd – Digital Ecosystem Coordinator Andrea Migliore – CRM Coordinator

Coleen Ducey – Digital Merchandising & Operations Specialist

Heidi Parrish – DVM, Mars Petcare

Agency: adam&eveDDB

Creative: CCO – Richard Brim

ECDs – Ant Nelson + Mike Sutherland

CD – Paul Knott

CD – Molly Wilkof

Creatives – Ben Robinson + Mike Whiteside Social Director- Phoebe Wright

Social Creative – Judith Talkens

Production: Head of Production – Sally Pritchett

Head of Print Production and Experiential– Jaki Jo Hannan

Producer – Joel Wilson

Social Producer – Brooke Lagana

Assistant Producer – Amy Galvin

Planning:

Planning Director – Stuart Williams

Planning Director – Catherine Willoughby Senior Planner – Kit Owens

Senior Planner – Zayem McTear

Chief Executive Officer: Miranda Hipwell

Account Management:

Managing Partner – Charlotte Cook

Business Director – Stephanie Taylor

Account Director – Sarah Hill

Account Manager – Lauren Dixon

Project Management:

Project Director: Rasha Noronha

Senior Project Manager: Becky Faloju

Legal: Senior Legal Counsel – Tom Campbell PR:

Ketchum Client Director: Seagren Crous Account Lead: Julie Nunes

Earned Media Lead: Alex Demers

Influencer Lead: Sarah Vates

Social Lead: Blau Ramos

Entertainment Lead: Danielle Hallas Balloon Designer: Jennifer Palmer Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks Experiential Director: Glue Society

Service company: Biscuit Filmworks US

Editing (offline & online) Company: Absolute Post, London (Waylon’s Journey, Health Tips) Executive Producer: Belinda Grew Jnr. Producer: Dannica Green

Editor: Tom Higgins

Edit Assist: Christy Brooks

Colourist: Pete Oppersdorff 2D: Tom Higgins Editing (offline & online) Company: Cutters, Chicago (Launch Films/CBS Package) Soundtrack Name: Minneapolis Bump by Southside Aces