New Zealand pet food company Masterpet has turned the country's election into a dogfight with an ingenious campaign to raise awareness of its brand.
The company has unleashed two new squeaky dog toys onto the New Zealand market in a bid to find out which of its party leaders voters would like to feed to the dogs.
The toys bear a striking resemblance to Helen Clark and John Key, the two political rivals contesting the country's 2008 general election, as Masterpet stages its own mini-election to monitor which candidate is in the doghouse amongst the nation's pet lovers.
But the company is also sure to be monitoring a boost in sales as they cash in on election fever in the run-up to the November poll.
Masterpet also backed up the campaign by issuing a set of tips for dog owners.
These included a warning to wear ear protection when their dogs were playing with the toy, as the squealing could be just as bad as that from the real politicians.
So far the results of the canine caper are mirroring public opinion, with the more popular purchase Labour's Helen Clark trailing National John Key in the opinion polls.
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