Editor’s note: Today’s post is a Q&A with Fran Laurie, Global Marketing Manager at SHEBA®, the premium cat food brand. In this post she shares how the team at Sheba created the Sheba Hope Grows program, part of one of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programs, in partnership with Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS).
Q: Tell us about the Sheba Hope GrowsTM program. How did the idea come about and what are you hoping to achieve?
The Sheba Hope Grows program launched in 2021 with the unveiling of HOPE Reef in Indonesia. The program is part of one of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programs, in partnership with Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS). Following the development and strong results from using the Mars developed ‘Reef Star’ to aid coral reef restoration, the SHEBA brand wanted to share the success of the program with the world and drive further visibility through the launch. Since the launch, we have been able to expand the footprint of the program to over 12 countries, with our partners at MSS and NGOs.
A view of the flagship site, HOPE Reef in Indonesia.
Q: Why did you choose to build an immersive map experience for this program?
Coral reefs are present in an underwater world that many people will never get the chance to experience. Combining the opportunity to make reefs, and our program accessible to all, with the chance to be able to visually demonstrate the scale of the program globally felt like a great opportunity. The immersive map also gives us a chance to provide more visibility of our NGO partners, without whom the scale of restoration to date would not have been achieved.
Q: How do you want your audience to experience the campaign?
The experience is designed to enable consumers from anywhere in the world to engage with and understand more about the program. We understand that, for many, coral reefs may not be part of their everyday lives, nor in the proximity of their homes, and thus may not appreciate the impact of coral reef loss on people’s everyday lives. Through the immersive experience built with Google Maps Platform, any consumer can dive in to learn more about the program, explore our reef sites and learn more about our partners.
Users can explore the projects by navigating on the map to various locations.
Q: How is this important to the Mars and the SHEBA brand philosophy?
At Mars, the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. Today, the world's coral reefs, often called rainforests of the sea, are in critical danger if no action is taken. As a brand leader, I believe the greatest responsibility—and greatest opportunity—lies in building brands that inspire and create meaningful value for people, pets, and the planet.
Users can click on specific reef locations to learn more about the projects.
Q: Is the map experience a time-bound campaign, or will this experience live on-going?
The map launched in April, 2025 alongside the launch of the Reef Builders documentary, however we see this experience living on-going. As we continue to expand our restoration footprint we can build new sites onto the map, and we have some exciting ideas in the pipeline as to how the map can become part of a way consumers can get involved with the program themselves!
Q: Why did you choose Google Maps Platform to bring this experience to life?
We chose Google when we first unveiled Hope Reef in 2021, helping plot the reefs and launch a first of its kind “reef view” on the map. As we learned about the advancements of the platform since our initial partnership, this was an obvious collaboration opportunity. We’re using the Maps JavaScript API to display the map and incorporate the custom marker feature to align the look and feel of the map to our brand. We are also exploring how to evolve the map to include a 3D interactive experience which will educate users about the reef star process and help drive participation, centred around our flagship site, HOPE Reef in Indonesia.
Q: Are you thinking about expanding this experience in the future, or integrating maps into future campaigns?
Absolutely. We have some exciting ideas in the pipeline as to how the map can become part of a new way for consumers to engage with the program and get involved. We are excited to continue our build and rely on Google in future campaigns.