To cut through on a small budget, we decided to buck the category norm which was to show the shelter animals. Instead we adopted a more graphic approach to appeal to dog lovers by creating an endearing icon for adoption. Doggie rescue’s platform has always been about showing the benefits of dog ownership. ‘Home is where the dog is’ was borne out of this strategy.

The icon which combined a dog and a house was used as a campaign device. To appeal to different types of owners, each execution showed different a breed, with the background colour reflecting the breed. For instance, for Golden retriever, we used yellow. For American Pitbull, we used white.

Since the campaign broke in Feb 2015, it’s still early days. But the initial response has been encouraging. Adoptions went up 9% in the months of February and March. Visitors to the shelter responded positively to the campaign and unanimously agreed that the visual tugged their heartstrings.