Saturday, February 22, 2014

Shelter pets transcend TV screens in new PSAs for the Shelter Pet Project

Via PR Newswire - The Ad Council, in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund, has launched new series of public service advertisements on behalf of the Shelter Pet Project campaign.

In the new ads, adorable adopted shelter dogs and cats practically reach through TV screens, imploring audiences to play with them. Prospective pet owners are reminded that there are thousands of amazing shelter pets ready to meet them.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS said: “We hope these videos inspire animal lovers around the country to support their local animal shelters and that they encourage their friends to adopt a pet in need of a home.”

Draftfcb Chicago, the volunteer advertising agency who created the ads, took a playful approach to breaking down shelter pet adoption barriers in the new TV, outdoor and web PSAs. The individual personalities of real-life adopted shelter dogs and cats are showcased with the pets playfully licking or pawing at screens seemingly in an effort to reach pet lovers on the other side. Each PSA concludes with the message that, “The only way to find out how amazing shelter pets really are…is to meet one,” and invites viewers to visit TheShelterPetProject.org to learn more.

“One of the hardest barriers to overcome in the shelter pet adoption process is getting people to the shelters to see the animals, so we're offering an interactive first meeting. From there, the pets’ personalities really take over. They're pretty much impossible to say ‘no’ to!” said Draftfcb EVP/Executive Creative Director Jon Flannery.

Since its inception in 2009, the Shelter Pet Project has worked to lift public perception of animal shelters and shelter pets and has been part of driving down the number of pets who lose their lives in shelters by 12 percent. Three to four million shelter pets get adopted each year, which means just 29 percent of dogs and 33 percent of cats in American homes were adopted from shelters or rescue groups. 2.7 million healthy or treatable pets still need our help to find a home each year.

“There is no power greater than the compassionate hearts of animal lovers,” said Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino. "That's why we know that when this campaign introduces these amazing dogs and cats to the public, we're going to see a wave of people heading to the shelters to ‘meet’ their future family members.”

“We are so proud of the success of this campaign in reducing stigma and euthanasia rates over the past four years, but much remains to be done,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Our hope is that this new round of innovative and interactive work will inspire even more people to head to their local animal shelters to meet their new pet companions.”

Prospective pet owners are encouraged to visit www.TheShelterPetProject.org, where they can search available pets by zip code, read adoption success stories and learn valuable information about pet adoption.

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