campaign_id: null created_at: ‘2026-03-12T20:19:35.374232+00:00’ dashboard_url: https://dashboard.kismetpets.com/context/direct_response_copy/5/ experiment_id: null id: 5 product_id: null skill: direct_response_copy title: March Madness Breed Bracket — Organic Instagram Strategy & Design Brief updated_at: ‘2026-03-12T20:19:35.374272+00:00’
March Madness Breed Bracket — Organic Instagram Strategy & Design Brief
direct_response_copy · 2026-03-12
Kismet March Madness: Best Breed Bracket
Organic Instagram Strategy & Design Brief
The Concept
A 16-breed, audience-voted tournament bracket where dog breeds (mutts included) go head to head across four rounds. No products, no selling — just the eternal debate every pet parent has an opinion on. We’re hosting the conversation, not pushing a bag of food.
The bracket lives as one static Feed post. Voting happens in Stories over ~2 weeks. Kismet’s role is the fun, culturally tapped-in host — not the brand trying to sell you something between matchups.
Why This Works
- Everyone has a take. Breed debates are the most reliably engaging content in the pet space. People will fight for their dog.
- Inclusive by design. Mutts get a seed. This is core to Kismet’s “never exclusive” identity — we don’t gatekeep by pedigree.
- Community-driven. Followers own the outcome. Every vote is a micro-interaction. Every upset is content.
- No selling. The brand earns cultural equity by hosting something fun, not by pushing product. That’s the Cool Aunt/Uncle energy — makes everything more fun without trying too hard.
- Algorithmic gold. Polls, comments, DMs, saves, shares — this format touches every engagement signal Instagram rewards.
The Bracket: 16 Breeds, 4 Regions
Seeded for maximum debate. Each region mixes popular breeds with underdogs (literally) to create interesting matchups.
🏀 THE PUPPY BOWL REGION
| Seed | Breed | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Retriever | The #1 overall seed. Try voting against this face. |
| 8 | Bernese Mountain Dog | Big, fluffy, beloved — a dangerous 8-seed. |
| 4 | Corgi | Internet royalty. Short legs, huge fanbase. |
| 5 | Shiba Inu | Meme king. Doge energy. Sleeper pick. |
🏀 THE DOG PARK REGION
| Seed | Breed | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | French Bulldog | The most popular breed in America. Major target on their back. |
| 7 | Poodle | Don’t sleep. Comes in three sizes. Hypoallergenic legend. |
| 3 | German Shepherd | Loyal, smart, iconic. The bracket’s blue blood. |
| 6 | Husky | Drama. Howling. Main character energy. |
🏀 THE UNDERDOG REGION
| Seed | Breed | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador Retriever | America’s dog for 31 straight years. The dynasty. |
| 8 | Beagle | Snoopy’s breed. Nose-first chaos. |
| 4 | Dachshund | Small but mighty. The wiener dog coalition is loud. |
| 5 | Boxer | Goofy, athletic, surprisingly emotional. |
🏀 THE RESCUE REGION
| Seed | Breed | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mutt / Mixed Breed | The people’s champion. One of a kind. Adopt don’t shop energy. |
| 7 | Pit Bull | Misunderstood, fiercely loved. This will be the most passionate fanbase in the bracket. |
| 3 | Australian Shepherd | Beautiful, smart, velcro dogs. |
| 6 | Cavalier King Charles | The lap dog that punches above its weight. |
Content Rollout
THE FEED POST — Bracket Reveal
Format: Single static image, 4:5 ratio. This is the anchor for the entire campaign. Pin it to the profile.
Caption:
> It’s time. 🏀 > > 16 breeds. 4 rounds. 1 champion. You’re the ref. > > Head to our Stories to start voting — we’ll update the bracket as breeds get eliminated. > > Tag a Golden Retriever parent who thinks this is already decided. 👇
Alt caption options:
> March Madness but make it dog breeds. Who’s your #1 seed?
> We seeded the bracket. You decide who wins. Stories voting starts now.
STORIES — Voting Rounds
Round 1 — Sweet 16 (8 matchups over 2–3 days)
4 matchups per day. Each Story slide:
- Breed name on each side
- Illustrated or photographic image of each breed
- Poll sticker centered
- One punchy line framing the matchup
Matchup copy:
Golden Retriever vs. Bernese Mountain Dog “Sunshine in dog form vs. the gentle giant. Only one moves on.”
Corgi vs. Shiba Inu “Short king energy vs. meme lord energy.”
French Bulldog vs. Poodle “Most popular breed in America vs. the one that comes in every size.”
German Shepherd vs. Husky “The overachiever vs. the one who has something to say about it. Loudly.”
Labrador Retriever vs. Beagle “The 31-year dynasty vs. the nose that follows trouble everywhere.”
Dachshund vs. Boxer “Six inches of pure ambition vs. the goofiest athlete you know.”
Mutt vs. Pit Bull “One of a kind vs. misunderstood and proud of it. The people’s matchup.”
Australian Shepherd vs. Cavalier King Charles “Velcro dog vs. lap dog. Both want to be on top of you at all times.”
Round 2 — Elite 8 (4 matchups, 1 day)
Story intro slide: “8 breeds left. It gets personal from here.”
Round 3 — Final Four (2 matchups, 1 day)
Story intro slide: “The Final Four. No easy picks left.”
Round 4 — Championship (1 matchup, 24-hour vote)
Story intro slide: “The final. One breed to rule them all. You have 24 hours.”
Champion Reveal
“YOUR 2026 KISMET MARCH MADNESS CHAMPION: [BREED] 🏆“
BETWEEN-ROUND CONTENT (Stories)
This is where the personality lives. Between voting rounds, keep the conversation going with:
- Hot takes: “If your dog’s breed got eliminated, we’re sorry but also… the people have spoken.”
- Upset alerts: “THE BEAGLE JUST TOOK DOWN THE LAB. CHAOS IN THE BRACKET.” (Post the results screenshot with a reaction.)
- Repost follower DMs/comments: The spiciest takes, the funniest defenses, the saddest eliminations. Reshare to Stories with reactions.
- “State your case” boxes: Use the question sticker — “Your breed just got eliminated. Make your case for why they deserved better.”
- Stats slides: “The closest matchup so far: Corgi vs. Shiba Inu — decided by 2%. The most dominant: Golden Retriever won 78–22.”
Posting Cadence
| Day | Content | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Bracket reveal | Feed post (pin to profile) |
| Tue | Round 1: Matchups 1–4 | Stories polls |
| Wed | Round 1: Matchups 5–8 | Stories polls |
| Thu | Round 1 results + hot takes | Stories |
| Fri | Round 2: Elite 8 (4 matchups) | Stories polls |
| Mon | Round 2 results + upset reactions | Stories |
| Tue | Final Four (2 matchups) | Stories polls |
| Wed | Final Four results | Stories |
| Thu | Championship (24hr vote) | Stories poll |
| Fri | Champion reveal | Stories + optional Feed post |
Total: ~12 days.
Design Brief
Feed Post — Bracket Graphic
Dimensions: 1080 × 1350px (4:5 Instagram portrait)
Background: Solid Kismet Turquoise (#00C4D6)
Layout:
- Classic 16-seed single-elimination bracket
- 8 breeds down the left side, 8 down the right
- Bracket lines in Night (#0F2B2B), thick and clean, converging toward center
- 4 region headers at the top and bottom of each side
Breed representation: Each breed gets a Kismet-style gouache illustration — flat, painterly, visible brush strokes, no outlines, expressive personality. Each dog should feel like a character, not a generic breed photo. (See Illustration Guidelines and Assets #387, #389 for style reference.)
Illustrations sit directly on the turquoise background — no frames, no circles, no boxes.
Center: Illustrated dog (the champion placeholder) wearing the Kismet Pack Bandana (reference Assets #82, #83 for the exact multi-color block pattern in teal, coral, yellow, pink) and holding a golden trophy overhead. Full body, standing on hind legs, happy expression. Same gouache illustration style.
Use Asset #811 as starting reference for this centerpiece — adjust style as needed.
Typography:
- Headline: SansPlomb — “KISMET MARCH MADNESS” (bold, uppercase, cream/white FFFDF5)
- Breed names: Aperçu (bold, cream/white)
- Region headers: Aperçu (bold, uppercase) in accent colors:
- Puppy Bowl Region → Coral (#F95736)
- Dog Park Region → Pamplemousse (#FB9D30)
- Underdog Region → Kale (#036356)
- Rescue Region → Pluot (#9A3C4B)
- “VOTE IN STORIES” CTA: Aperçu (bold, uppercase, letterspaced, cream/white)
What NOT to do:
- No product imagery anywhere
- No starbursts or decorative shapes behind the dogs
- No white boxes or circular frames
- No photography — illustrations only
- No Kismet logo lockup on the graphic (the brand is present through illustration style, colors, and the account posting it)
Stories — Matchup Slides
Dimensions: 1080 × 1920px (9:16)
Background: Rotate brand colors by region:
- Puppy Bowl matchups → Coral (#F95736) background
- Dog Park matchups → Pamplemousse (#FB9D30) background
- Underdog matchups → Kale (#036356) background
- Rescue matchups → Pluot (#9A3C4B) background
Layout:
- Two breed illustrations, one on each side (or top/bottom)
- “VS” centered between them in Night (#0F2B2B) or cream depending on background contrast
- Breed names in Aperçu bold
- One-line matchup description in Aperçu regular
- Instagram poll sticker placed below the illustrations
- Seed numbers next to breed names (e.g. “#1 Golden Retriever”)
Illustration style: Same gouache/painted style as the bracket. Each dog should have personality — the Husky should look dramatic, the Corgi should look confident, the Mutt should look charmingly scrappy.
Results / Between-Round Slides
Background: Night (#0F2B2B) or Blackberry (#450603) for contrast with the voting slides
Content: Updated bracket showing which breeds advanced, with eliminated breeds greyed out or crossed through. Winning breeds highlighted in their region’s accent color.
Tone Guide for This Campaign
This whole thing should feel like the group chat, not the brand account. Lean into:
- Hot takes over polished copy. “The Shiba got robbed and I’m not okay” > “Congratulations to this round’s winners!”
- Debate, not description. Frame every matchup as a genuine argument. Take a side sometimes (then walk it back).
- Inclusive always. The Mutt is seeded #2 in the Rescue Region. Pit Bulls are in the bracket. Rescue energy is celebrated, not tokenized.
- Zero selling. No product mentions in captions. No “shop now” links. No “powered by Kismet.” The brand is present through the visual style, the hosting energy, and the tone.
This is a brand awareness play, not a conversion play. We’re earning the right to be in people’s feeds by being the most fun thing there.
Success Metrics
- Stories poll participation rate (target: 15%+ of viewers voting)
- Feed post comments (breed debates, predictions, tags)
- Feed post saves & shares (people sending the bracket to friends)
- Story completion rate across multi-slide voting days
- DMs (people defending their breed, sharing hot takes)
- Follower growth over the 12-day window
- Brand mentions / tags from people sharing the bracket or results
Available Assets for Design Team
| Asset | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kismet illustration style reference 1 | Media Library #387 | KEY REFERENCE — woman with golden retriever, gouache style |
| Kismet illustration style reference 2 | Media Library #389 | Man with dog at desk, gouache style |
| Pack Bandana photo 1 | Media Library #82 | Shows multi-color block pattern |
| Pack Bandana photo 2 | Media Library #83 | Shows bandana on dog |
| Dog mascot illustration (starting point) | Media Library #811 | Flat gouache dog with bandana + trophy — use as reference, adjust as needed |
| Illustration guidelines | Brand Guidelines → Illustration section | Duo-tone, brush strokes, no outlines, capture personality |
| Color palette | Brand Guidelines → Colors section | Full 21-color palette with usage rules |