| Title | PUPS |
| Brand | IFAW - INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE |
| Product/Service | IFAW - INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE |
| Category |
A08. Charities, Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages |
|
Entrant
|
J. WALTER THOMPSON London, UNITED KINGDOM
|
|
Idea Creation
|
J. WALTER THOMPSON London, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Credits
| Russell Ramsey |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Executive Creative Director |
| David Masterman |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Creative Director |
| Claudia Southgate |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Creative |
| Miles Bingham |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Creative |
| Rachael Long |
J. Walter Thompson London |
TV Producer |
| Jenny Busby |
J. Walter Thompson London |
TV Producer |
| Ed Thorn |
J. Walter Thompson London |
TV Producer |
| Charlotte Humphries |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Senior Account Manager |
| Kate Duncan |
J. Walter Thompson London |
Project Manager |
| Sophia Ray |
Nice & Polite |
Director |
| Dave Davis |
Freelance |
Editor |
| Jeff Smith |
750mph |
Sound Engineer |
The Campaign
To raise awareness around the cruel UK puppy trade, we created Suzy Puppy, a toy dog who may not be all she seems, as the star of a multi-faceted campaign raising awareness of the issue.
Centred on an online mock-advert for a bespoke design children’s toy, the campaign also features a real world element where the toy was displayed in selected animal-based stores as well as being introduced in Parliament on September 14th with 500 MPs all being given one of the Suzy Puppy toys
Creative Execution
We created Suzy Puppy, a toy dog who may not be all she seems, as the star of a multi-faceted campaign raising awareness of the issue.
The centre of the campaign is a short film, depicting a young girl’s delight in getting her new Suzy Puppy. However, mirroring the grim reality of the puppy industry she quickly discovers that her seemingly perfect pup is in fact suffering a great deal from problems such as Conjunctivitis to the Parvo Virus.
The campaign also features a real world element where the toy was displayed in selected animal-based stores as well as being introduced in Parliament on September 14th with 500 MPs all being given one of the Suzy Puppy toys.
It is the integration of the film and the real-world activity that allowed us to engage on a more personal level with both the general public and the MPs.
Results
Overall, the campaign received an estimated PR view coverage of 194,000, from over 21 pieces of coverage. This led to a huge spike in traffic to the IFAW website, with over 69,400 visits since the launch where people spent over a minute interacting with the charity and the work they are doing.
The film in particular acted as a centre piece to social sharing, receiving a total of 43,000 organic views in the first two weeks alone.
Overall, the campaign hashtag #nomumnosale received 650 mention, with the most influential tweets coming from Katie Banks – Celebrity News Editor of Closer Magazine (which generated 46 retweets and 113 likes) and naturalist broadcaster Chris Packham (which generated 201 retweets and 175 likes).
But most importantly, the dog and box were tweeted by 12 MPs generating political energy around the legislative change
The puppy industry is booming – and it’s a growing problem. Breeders from the UK, and puppy smugglers from Europe, are producing puppies solely for profit, with little (if any) consideration for the animals’ needs or health. All too often, puppies are taken from their mothers too soon (before eight weeks of age) and transported on long journeys to be sold by dodgy dealers. These puppies regularly suffer from preventable illness, sometimes death, and can have behavioural issues later on in life.
Many people and puppies have fallen victim to the trade because they are not aware of the issues at play, so our campaign strategy aimed to inform the public about the shocking truth of illicit puppy breeding – giving them the knowledge and tools to make responsible decisions on the issues.
Whilst many of our dog loving activists are already well aware of the issues at play, the general public are less informed about the irresponsible way many puppies are bred and sold. It is this mass of general public we wanted to reach – and in particular groups who love dogs and will want to spread our message further. To do so we used a range of social influencers – from animal activist and blogger groups, to celebrities and entertainment platforms that could increase reach even further by sharing our film with their followers.
T