Title	#UNCUTE
Brand	THE SWEDISH ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL VETERINARY CLINICS
Product/Service	TAKE STAND AGAINST THE UNKNOWN ISSUE OF EXTREME BREEDING OF SHORT-NOSED DOGS
Category	B12. Brand Voice & Strategic Storytelling
Entrant	GEELMUYDEN KIESE Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	GEELMUYDEN KIESE Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR	GEELMUYDEN KIESE Stockholm, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Ingrid Sydow	Geelmuyden Kiese	Creative Director

The Campaign

Under the concept #uncute (“#ogulligt”, in Swedish) we created a digital and social campaign including tools for potential dog buyers and a digital platform that allowed people to take a stand against extreme breeding. The concept plays on the initial reaction (“aww cute”) that people get when seeing a short-nosed dog. By educating the general public about the health problems that come with these short-nosed features, we changed people’s perception of what’s cute.

Execution

Social media films: One animated film educating first time dog buyers how to choose healthy puppies. The other film simply documented a short-nosed dog struggling to breathe, in order for people to better recognize what it sounds and looks like. Campaign site: We created the website ogulligt.se where we gathered all information about the campaign including the films, survey results, a petition against extreme breeding and links to information from veterinary experts. Petition: A digital petition was set up in order to gather all the voices that wanted to take a stand against extreme breeding. Even dogs could sign the petition. Media relations: Journalists, bloggers and influencers were contacted. Opinion pieces were written and targeted the biggest dailies in Sweden in order to put pressure on stakeholders and politicians.

- We managed to strengthen the client’s position as an expert, both in society and among their members - The minister of Agriculture initiated to investigate a change in the law - The followers of our client’s Facebook page increased by 530% - A reach of 24 million - Influencers and journalists praised the initiative - 4000 names gathered in the petition - Massive response and reach in social media, creating a heated debate on the client’s Facebook page (no help of paid media)

The Situation

Taking advantage of the public love for animals, it was crucial to raise awareness among the public. We needed to use the voice of the public in order to credibly stress the severity of the issue and to put pressure on potential dog buyers and decision makers.

The Strategy

There are things people simply don’t want to know, and the fact that many of our dogs suffer is one of those uncomfortable truths. Our strategy was to first and foremost spread information about the effects of extreme dog-breeding in a light-hearted and easily digested format. The next step was to change the way Swedes perceive cuteness, by having them associate these dog’s cute little faces with the word “Uncute”. We knew that the truth was going to hurt, especially amongst those who own and breed these dogs. Our strategy was to amplify these uncomfortable truths in order to create a healthy debate. Our core target group was dog owners and potential dog buyers, who gradually spread the message to the general public.