Lyka, an Australian company specialising in fresh dog food, has debuted its own mini horror movie titled 'The Brutal Pick-Up', which aims to highlight the significance of feeding dogs the right food to improve their gut health.

The campaign, designed to draw attention to the importance of canine gut health, was developed by Melbourne-based independent creative agency Outside In, in collaboration with production company Division. The horror movie, directed by Harry Welsh from Division, features a dog star named Maple. The film seeks to engage dog owners by addressing the often-overlooked issue of bad dog poop, which can be an indicator of poor gut health.

According to Lyka, many Australian dog owners have normalised the occurrence of bad dog poos, despite it potentially signalling underlying health issues. The company claims that 87% of their customers have observed improvements in their dogs' poos after switching to Lyka's real food diet.

The campaign is integrated across multiple platforms, including BVOD (broadcast video on demand), OOH (out-of-home advertising), social media, and digital channels. This multi-channel approach aims to reach a broad audience and spark a conversation among dog owners about the impact of diet on their pets' health.

Analise Burwood, creative director at Lyka, commented on the campaign's approach: "As a challenger brand, we can't afford to be quiet. To break through lifelong dog food habits, we needed a disruptive idea. What's the best indicator of a dog's health? Their poo. It's the honest, gross, and undeniable picture of what's happening on the inside. That made 'The Brutal Pick-up' a clear winner. It's simple, a little gross, funny, and sparks an essential conversation with dog owners. Huge thanks to our gorgeous dog star Maple, director Harry Welsh, producer Cooki, and the Outside In team for bringing this to life!"

Grace Leat, co-founder of Outside In, explained the creative direction: "It’s not every day you get a brief about dog poo. We knew straight away the way to cut through was to lean into the grossness, flip it into dark comedy, and make people think about what their dog’s poop is really saying."

Director Harry Welsh of Division also shared his experience working on the project: "It’s not often you get a brief this bold which you can push this far, it was a real joy to craft this nightmare."

The campaign credits include various roles from Lyka, Outside In and Division, as well as contributions from other production and post-production collaborators.