Dogs Trust is a charity close to my heart - I absolutely adore dogs!!!!! I think it this brief would be a nice one to do as it is very positive, upbeat and warm - it would be interesting to see how this could be presented aesthetically. I also like the idea of the 'Great British Dog Owner' - I love projects about specifically British things, and think it would be cool to play on this element.
Dogs Trust
Create a campaign that makes ‘rescue dogs’ the most desirable breed of dog in Britain.
The Brief
To create a campaign that makes ‘rescue dogs’ the most desirable breed of dog in Britain.
Background
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare and Rehoming charity. Every year we care for around 16,000 dogs at our 20 rehoming centres nationwide. Our mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction, and a huge part of this is our promise to ‘never put down a healthy dog’. This means that once a dog is in our care, he or she will be safe, cared for and loved for the rest of their days; they will have anything they need, emotionally as well as physically, for as long as they need it.
Whilst we care for all the dogs in our Centres like they are our own, we truly believe that the best place for a dog is in a forever home. A home is the best place for a dog because dogs love a family unit, and our goal is to give all dogs a second chance at happiness with a special new owner who’s right for them. We need to find new homes for 13,000 abandoned dogs each year.
For every dog we rehome we have space to rescue another one, but the length of stay a dog has with us is increasing, and as a result we can help fewer dogs. This brief is focused on helping us getting more Dogs Trust rescue dogs into their forever homes.
Creative challenge
Why is the length of time a dog stays with us increasing? The cause is: buying behaviour is changing. With the ever changing digital world, it has never been easier to get a dog. You can go online and search by dog breed, age, colour, location etc and have your ‘perfect’ dog ready to collect in a matter of minutes. People think they know what dog they want, and can get it so easily online that they forget about the rescue dogs needing a second chance, who just want someone to love, and who’ll love them.
Alongside this change in digital behaviour, there is also a common misconception that rescue dogs are ‘broken’ or have ‘issues’ when more often than not a dog will be brought into our centres due to an owner’s change of circumstances. The most common reasons given when handing over a dog to us are ‘work commitments’,’ family crisis’, ‘new baby’ and ‘owner ill health’. A dog may be at a rehoming centre for lots of different reasons but they are all the same in two ways; their circumstances weren’t their fault, and regardless of their past they have nothing but love in their hearts waiting to give their new owner.
We know Britain loves dogs! 1 in 4 households in the UK own a dog as a pet and 800,000 dogs will be bought this year. We also know not everyone can rescue a dog, but our wish is that everyone looking to get a dog tries to rehome first before buying one. Every day we have up to 1,500 wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes waiting at our 20 rehoming centres for their hero to turn up and change their lives forever.
If dog-buying behaviour is changing, and the digital world we live in means people want what is fashionable, then we need to influence this buying behaviour in the rescue dog’s favour! There has been a 368% rise in the popularity of French Bulldogs in the past five years alone, and by the end of 2018 this breed will overtake Labradors as the UK’s most popular dog (the first time the Labrador has been knocked off the top spot in 27 years). We want to make rescue dogs the next most desirable breed in Britain.
Rehoming a dog from Dogs Trust may not change the world, but for that one dog their world will change forever, and we want your ideas to help us find more of these special dogs’ new homes!
Come up with an idea that will make the Great British dog lover change their perception of rescuing a dog, and want to rehome a rescue dog from Dogs Trust instead of buying a dog online. Your creative idea will inspire people to visit the Rehoming pages of our website — or even better — visit one of our rehoming centres and ultimately help us find more rescue dogs their forever homes! Your idea can be anything from a clever press ad, to an experiential concept, or an idea for a full-blown integrated campaign. Whatever you come up with it should feel positive, upbeat and non-judgmental, in line with our brand guidelines.
The American example
In America, a shift in the perception of rescue dogs is already happening, with it being more popular to rehome a rescue dog rather than buy a dog than ever before. A-list celebrities such as George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Ariana Grande and many more are choosing to rescue dogs, and publicising this on social media, as well as telling their rehoming stories in interviews. This has played a huge part in the visibility of rescue dogs in the American media and has increased the popularity of rehoming a dog as a first option. Campaigns run by American shelters have also helped rehoming become more mainstream. A great example of this is the ‘Adobtable Trends’ campaign from Dallas Pets Alive. Please see the link for more info https://mixxawardsinsights2016.iab.com/featured-campaigns/adoptable-trends/
Audience
The Great British dog lover, particularly those who are thinking about getting a dog. We want our campaign to stop these people in their tracks on their dog-buying journey. However, we also want to make sure that we are in the consideration set of those people who might not be in the right circumstances to have a dog right now, but might be in future.
Creative considerations
Dogs Trust is upbeat, passionate, warm and — most of all – positive! In everything we do and say we come from a positive angle; we are NOT institutional, judgmental or shocking. Our tone of voice is hugely important as it reflects what we are about as an organisation, and really sets us apart from other animal welfare charities.
Any ideas you come up with must not portray Dogs Trust as a bad place for a dog to be. We will care for a dog for the rest of their days like they are our own if needed, but a forever home is just that one step better. Dogs in our care should never be described as “unwanted”, “unloved” or ‘’desperate’’ as this isn’t the case.
Please see our brand guidelines in the project pack for further details of creative requirements.
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