By The Malketeer
Let’s be honest, no one enjoys picking up dog poo.
It’s the great equaliser of pet ownership, equal parts love and humiliation.
But what if that grim, squishy moment could be turned into a stroke of marketing brilliance?
That’s exactly what Lyka, Australia’s fresh dog food brand, and indie agency OUTSIDE IN have done with The Brutal Pick-Up — a tongue-in-cheek horror short that transforms every dog owner’s worst nightmare into an unforgettable gut-health lesson.
In the film, a hapless owner faces the unthinkable: a sloppy, un-pickable disaster that defies every poo bag ever made.
It’s over-the-top, cinematic, and deeply relatable.
Beneath the dark comedy lies a simple truth — your dog’s stool says more about their health than you think.
When Gut Instinct Becomes Gut Reality
Lyka’s insight was refreshingly honest: most dog owners have normalised “bad poos.”
What they don’t realise is that irregular stool is often the first warning sign of poor gut health.
Enter Lyka’s solution — real food for real dogs.
According to their research, 87% of customers reported better poos after switching to Lyka’s fresh, unprocessed meals.
It’s not glamorous data, but it’s the kind of evidence pet parents notice instantly.
By leaning on this everyday truth, Lyka found a way to connect science with sincerity — through humour.
The ad doesn’t moralise or over-explain; it just makes you laugh, squirm, and maybe think twice about what’s in your dog’s bowl.
Owning the Mess, Literally
“As a challenger brand, we can’t afford to be quiet,” says Analise Burwood, Lyka’s creative director.
“What’s the best indicator of a dog’s health? Their poo. It’s honest, gross, and undeniable.”
That unapologetic approach is what makes The Brutal Pick-Up stand out.
Rather than pretending the gross doesn’t exist, Lyka made it the hero.
The brand took something people avoid and turned it into the very proof of product performance.
Grace Leat, co-founder of OUTSIDE IN, summed it up perfectly: “We knew 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 clearly relished the challenge.
“It’s not every day you get to craft a nightmare about dog poo,” he said. “It was a joy — a messy, hilarious joy.”
Disruption by Design
Most pet food ads stick to the familiar: wagging tails, shiny coats, soft-focus slow motion.
Lyka went the opposite way — showing the one moment pet owners wish they could unsee.
The integrated campaign, rolling out across BVOD, OOH, social, and digital, balances cringe and charm in equal measure.
It’s memorable precisely because it’s not trying to be cute.
It’s self-aware, grossly funny, and strategically bold — exactly the sort of risk a challenger brand must take to be remembered.
When Truth Gets You Noticed
Lyka’s The Brutal Pick-Up shows that marketing genius often hides in the most unglamorous corners of life.
By making the uncomfortable both watchable and meaningful, the brand did more than sell dog food — it made gut health part of pop culture.
It’s messy, it’s memorable, and it absolutely stinks — in the best way possible.
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