Southern Cross Pet Insurance National Sales Manager, and registered vet nurse, Kerri Murray says people need to be extra mindful when walking dogs over the summer season.

“On a warm, sunny day ground temperatures can easily reach double that of the air temperature,” she explains. “Walking your dog in the heat of the day on pavement or sand can easily burn their paws. If it’s too hot for the back of your hand, it’s too hot for your pet.”

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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’ paws. This sparked an 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?

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In a New Zealand first, Southern Cross has partnered with MBM & 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.

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Open Weather 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 to tarseal and sand temperatures.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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Sian Kitchen Business Director at MBM says: “The team is really stoked to see this campaign go live. It’s a creative media solution which utilises custom technology to bring an important social message to the market, while positioning the client’s brand as the experts in pet health and wellness.”

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