What could be better than a puppy?

Four puppies.

March 23, otherwise known as National Puppy Day, was marked by Purina with random acts of puppies — a surprise dose of puppies delivered across the Greater Toronto Area. The pet food company drove throughout the GTA with a branded “Puppymobile” full of Portuguese Water Dogs in tow, surprising people with a visit from the pups and making a few media stops along the way.

The activation is part of an effort to promote a new line of Purina Puppy Chow, Purina Puppy Chow Natural.

Of course, the random acts of puppies weren’t completely random — prior to the day, Purina asked fans on social media to nominate their friends and family to receive a random visit from the puppies. The entries were promoted on Facebook and Instagram from March 6 to 16, with paid boosting on both platforms for awareness. GroupM handled the media buy, placing ads on Facebook and Instagram as well as on Snapchat (where Purina launched its own version of the popular dog filter on March 23), with the activation developed by North Strategic PR and strategy led by Purina Canada’s in-house agency, HyperLab.

Andrea Morassutti, puppy ambassador with Purina, told MiC the campaign represented a number of firsts for Purina. The puppy delivery itself is new, while it also marked the first time Purina sponsored a Snapchat lens. Morassutti said the lens was an opportunity for the brand to reach out to a “new demographic of pet owners” through the social channel, which is much beloved my millennials and Gen Z alike.