Most people have friends online, many they’ve never met. What if the animals created online friendships that could be turned into real ones? Usually reserved for humans, Facebook and Twitter profiles gave the pets a personality and a voice, so potential owners could get to know them.

The pets sent friend requests and made lots of new friends. Many became advocates and helped them find homes. An “SCPA Friends” tab was created on the SPCA’s Facebook page listing the pets so everyone could see when their status changed from “single” to “adopted”.

Using social media, a new form of communication to the category, the pets made headlines in New Zealand and around the world. This publicity, along with people spreading the word, saw thousands interacting with the pets online.

Hits on the SPCA’s Facebook page increased by 84% within a month. “Monthly Active Users” were up by 2,202. The “SPCA Friends” tab, listing the pets, was viewed over 3,000 times with more people looking at their profiles than any other section.

Our campaign cost $0 and achieved a 186% increase in adoptions. In fact, the SPCA nearly ran out of animals.