Role: Solo Designer
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Strategy
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Branding
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Copy Direction
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Graphic Design
Timeline: 4–6 weeks
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Deliverables:
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Billboards
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Email Marketing
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Social Ads
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Brand Messaging
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Web Design
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Client
Wiskr is a conceptual South African pet insurer aiming to connect with modern pet owners who value convenience, reliability, and emotional reassurance.
The Challenge
The brand needed a campaign that moved beyond cost-focused messaging—common in the competitive pet insurance space—and instead built an emotional reason to trust Wiskr.
The Objective
Develop a digital-first marketing campaign that increases brand awareness, strengthens emotional connection, and drives more pet owners to explore Wiskr’s plans.
The Opportunity
Pet owners universally fear unexpected vet bills and emergencies. By leaning into empathy and reassurance, Wiskr could position itself as the brand that helps them worry less and love more.
IMPACT SUMMARY
This campaign established a clear strategic direction for Wiskr by defining an emotional core, building a consistent multi-touchpoint system, and setting a cohesive foundation for future brand communication. The project clarified the brand’s voice, modernized its visual approach, and strengthened how Wiskr connects with South African pet owners.
Key High-Level Improvements:
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Unified brand direction anchored in emotional clarity
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Stronger storytelling foundation for future campaigns
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A coherent visual and verbal identity system
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Digital-first structure that supports scalability
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
I conducted research to understand how pet owners in South Africa make decisions around pet insurance and to identify gaps in competitor messaging. These insights shaped the emotional tone, visual direction, and communication style of the campaign.
Research Methods
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Competitor analysis
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Market research on South African pet ownership trends
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Audience segmentation (primary + secondary audiences)
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Review of tone, behaviours and design preferences for digital-first consumers
DOTSURE | OUTSURANCE PET | |
|---|---|---|
About | South African insurance company specialising in pet insurance (dogs + cats). Founded in 2003. | South African insurance company offering broad insurance products incl. pet insurance. Covers routine care, accidents, and illnesses. |
Target Market | Pet owners seeking coverage for vet expenses. | Pet owners wanting comprehensive veterinary coverage. |
Tone & Manner | Relatable and emotional—focused on understanding the bond between pets and owners and reassuring them about care and coverage. | Clear, detailed, and transparent—focused on building trust and clarity around claims and exclusions. |
Stereotype | Seen as a niche, pet-focused insurance provider. | Viewed as thorough, reliable, and offering extensive coverage options. |
Strategy | Offers a wide variety of plans covering routine check-ups to major medical expenses. | Provides multiple plan options covering accidents, illnesses, and routine care. |
Constraints:
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Must appeal to both urban (JHB) and lifestyle-oriented (CPT) audiences.
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Limited access to original photography → solution: AI + stock + editing.
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Required to show a full-funnel campaign within an academic timeframe.
Key Insights:
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Pet owners respond strongly to empathy, not fear-based messaging.
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Competitors over-emphasise pricing and features rather than emotional reassurance.
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Younger audiences prefer clean layouts, conversational tone, and minimal fuss.
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Visual storytelling drives stronger recall in the pet insurance category.
STRATEGY & CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Website Hero & Layout
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Designed homepage header
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Created scannable blocks for coverage breakdown
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Used colour to segment plan categories
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Ensured the tone feels conversational and modern
Social Media Ads
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Designed carousel-style assets for Instagram
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Developed short-form static ads focusing on reassurance
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Used consistent typography + pet-focused imagery
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Strong CTA emphasis
Billboards (Favourite Deliverable)
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Developed bold layouts that command attention
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Chose expressive pet imagery to create instant emotional connection
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Kept text minimal with clear hierarchy
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Applied colour coding for different message types
Brand Strategy
The strategic foundation of the campaign was built on a universal emotional truth: Pet owners want Peace of Mind. Rather than competing on price or features alone, the goal was to position Wiskr as a reassuring, dependable companion for pet owners navigating the uncertainty of vet emergencies and rising medical costs. This insight led to the development of the campaign’s central message and slogan:
“Worry Less. Love More.”
It captures both the emotional (love for pets) and practical (financial protection) pillars of Wiskr’s value.
Messaging Pillars
With the brand’s emotional anchor defined, I translated that foundation into four clear messaging pillars that guided all copy, visuals, and touchpoints:
Ease &
Convenience
fast, frustration-free claims
Trust &
Reliability
24/7 support for unexpected emergencies
Pet
Well-being
focusing on the emotional bond between pets and owners
Accessibility
flexible plans suited to South African budgets and lifestyles
These pillars ensured the campaign remained consistent, structured, and aligned across every medium.
Creative Direction
The creative direction evolved directly from the strategy and messaging pillars. To communicate reassurance, friendliness, and modern digital accessibility, the visual language used:
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Soft yet vibrant colours to create warmth and trust
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Clean, minimal layouts optimised for digital-first readability
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Large expressive pet photography to reinforce emotional connection
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Conversational, human-centred copy instead of corporate jargon
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Subtle regional tailoring to better resonate with audiences in JHB and CPT
This approach created a cohesive visual and verbal system that feels approachable, emotionally grounded, and distinctly modern.
PROCESS
Brand Messaging
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Generated initial directions using AI
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Refined tone to be: friendly, empathetic, helpful
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Rewrote headlines to be simple and emotionally resonant
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Established guidelines for conversational copy
Email Marketing (Favourite Deliverable)
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Created two email flows: awareness + reassurance
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Balanced imagery with educational content
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Used warm, conversational tone
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Included CTA buttons with clear intent (Get a Quote / Learn More)
Instagram Post
Instagram Story
FINAL OUTCOME
A cohesive, emotionally-driven campaign that feels modern, digital, and trustworthy.
Final Deliverable Highlights:
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Coordinated system across billboards, email, website, and social
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Clear, premium brand direction
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Strong emotional storytelling
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Multi-touchpoint execution
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Simple yet powerful creative system that scales
RESULTS & IMPACT
This campaign created a unified, emotionally-driven brand system that strengthens trust and resonates with modern South African pet owners.
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Stronger conceptual clarity → unified system from strategy → execution
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More recognisable emotional positioning in a price-driven market
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Improved audience resonance with messaging tailored to SA pet owners
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Scalable framework future teams could expand
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Professional multi-touchpoint system demonstrating real-world readiness
This campaign demonstrates strategic thinking, emotional clarity, and multi-touchpoint execution.
REFLECTION
This project marked a significant shift in how I approach brand communication and campaign design. It pushed me to think beyond individual visuals and instead build a cohesive ecosystem that aligns strategy, messaging, and design.
Key Takeaways:
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Strengthened my strategic thinking around audience segmentation.
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Learned to tailor messaging and visuals for different regions while staying on-brand.
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Improved my ability to craft unified storytelling across multiple channels.
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Developed confidence in integrating AI-assisted ideation with clear human direction.
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Gained a deeper understanding of the power of emotion-led design in competitive markets.
