Cats have too much sex, and as a consequence they make too many babies. GAIA, the Global Action in the Interest of Animals, asked us to make a campaign based on the overpopulation of cats, with the intent of putting pressure on the Belgian government to pass a law forcing cat sterilization.

We launched the campaign with a press conference.

But as the overpopulation of cats in Belgium is not really a hot topic for press, we raised journalist’s attention with a strong key message: 'GAIA opens the first brothel for cats in Brussels'.

This was meant as a teaser, so we got already many reactions up front. But nobody said a word till the conference.

During the conference, GAIA raised awareness about the problem and explained the disadvantages of not having your cat neutered.

The press conference was followed by the inauguration of the brothel for cats near the Red Light District of Brussels. The brothel, the very first Red Cat District, was a beaming event on a prominent place. The building was a real hotel located in an area known for prostitution.

The message of the campaign was clear: Cats have too much sex. That’s why you need to neuter your cat.

It was very visual for the news and the campaign became the hot topic of the day. Thanks to the press conference we directly had national coverage with major medias & press agencies. The campaign was supported with a website and adverts in magazines and newspapers.

The campaign was launched via an 'inauguration'/press conference on 28th January.

One week before the launch, we started pitching journalists by sending them an exclusive invitation to the inauguration of a world's first : the first 'brothel for cats'. This was meant as a teaser, so we got already many reactions up front but nobody said a word till the conference.

On January 28th, journalists came to the inauguration. They needed to be there to understand what this new action of GAIA was all about. First they got info from different speakers talking about the cats' overpopulation and then they were invited to go outside to discover the brothel.

Afterwards we supported our message with print ads and a dedicated website.

National media embraced the concept and the action, exceeding GAIA's expectations with more than € 1.6 million earned media.

The press conference generated instant national press coverage on the most popular TV channels.

In Belgium alone, 29 different media spoke about the project. There also was international coverage on TV & online, and via press agencies.

But most importantly, the project resulted in a discussion between GAIA and the politicians to find solutions to the overpopulation of cats, paving the way for a law forcing cat sterilization.