PEDIGREE® launches AI tool to facilitate responsible dog adoption in Brazil 

São Paulo, March 2026 – 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.