Advertising Brief

RSPCA – Pet Abandonment Campaign

THE PURPOSE:

The purpose of this brief is to raise awareness of pet abandonment in Australia and demand a call to action. It will also let people know that there are other options available, and encourage people to consider if they are up to the responsibility of pet ownership, before impulse buying.

THE CAMPAIGN:

The RSPCA is launching a new campaign on pet abandonment, and is hoping to decrease occurrences by providing assistance and advice to people who are struggling to look after their pets. This campaign will also help gain support to pass a law which requires pet owners to pass a ‘competency of animal care’ test in order to keep pets such as cats and dogs.

BACKGROUND:

The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in the world. It started in England in 1824 as the SPCA, but was granted royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840. The first RSPCA colony to form in Australia was in 1871 in Victoria, but the first nation-wide meeting was held in February 1980.

Current Campaigns:

·         Choose Wisely – Get hens out of cages and choose free range eggs instead of cage eggs

·         Dairy farming – Improve conditions for dairy cows

·         Desexing – Desex pets to reduce number of unwanted animals

·         Duck hunting – Fight for a nation ban

·         Food labeling – Demand clear and accurate information on food labels

·         Live exports – Oppose the cruel live export trade

·         Livestock transport – Raise the standards of livestock transport conditions

·         Meat chickens – Choose free range chicken

·         Mulesing alternatives – Research into alternatives

·         Pest animals – Humane methods of pest control

·         Pig farming – Don’t buy pork from pigs confined to sow stalls

·         Puppy farms – Check raising conditions of puppy before buying

·         Walk the dog – Keep yourself and your dog healthy

·         Whips in racing – Whips aren’t needed for horse performance

Out of all these campaigns only the ‘Choose Wisely’ campaign and the ‘Walk the Dog’ campaign have advertisements. Information on all the other campaigns can be found on the RSPCA website.

New Campaign

·         Has links to the ‘Desex your Pet’ campaign – Desexing can reduce occurrences of litters being abandoned

·         Occurrences of pet abandonment has risen substantially in the past few years, this campaign will inform the public on this rising phenomenon

CAMPAIGN/ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES

Primary objective:

·        To raise awareness of pet abandonment

·        To reduce the amount of cases of cruel and negligent animal care

·        To pass a law which requires future pet owners to pass a ‘competency of animal care’ test before being able to purchase animals

Secondary objective:

·        To offer help and advice to people who feel they are not capable of keeping their pets

·        To give advice to new pet owners about the responsibility of pet ownership

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Primary Target Audience:

·        Current and future pet owners, particularly adults

Secondary Target Audience

·        Children and adolescents

KEY MESSAGES:

·        It is wrong to abandon any pet and it is illegal and immoral

·        There are other options available if I can no longer look after my pet, and it is much kinder to take them to a shelter than desert them

·        I must consider if I am financially and emotionally capable of owning a pet before I buy one

·        I must desex my pet in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies

CALL TO ACTION:

·        Consider if they are up to buying a pet or not

·        Take their animal to a shelter or seek help from the RSPCA before they consider abandonment

·        Support the RSPCA in passing a law which requires pet owners to pass a ‘competency of animal care’ test

TONE OF MESSAGE:

This campaign is supposed to make you feel guilty if you are considering pet abandonment, and to make it apparent that it is cruel and immoral. It is designed to make you feel remorse for the poor animals that have been callously deserted by their owners. Therefore the tone could fit into the following category:

·        Serious and depressing

MEDIA TO BE USED:

·        Advertising banners on pet websites, such as; pet stores, breeders, pet advice etc.

·        Pamphlets in pet stores and RSPCA shopfronts

·        Pet magazines (eg. Animania, Dogs life and Your Pet)

GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS:

This campaign will run nationally throughout Australia, and will encourage other nations, such as America and the UK to run similar campaigns on this issue.

BUDGET:

The RSPCA is looking to widely spread the campaign throughout different medias, and produce pamphlets to distribute in many locations nation-wide.

Production costs: $100,000

Media costs: $400,000

AGENCY RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS:

·         An understanding of the Brief

·         Their proposed advertising strategy

·         The creative material

·         A recommended timetable

·         Proposed costing