Title | CATS ON FACEBOOK |
Brand | CAT SOCIETY HONG KONG |
Product / Service | ADOPTION SERVICE |
Category | B04. Public Service, Charity & Fund Raising |
Entrant | LEO BURNETT Hong Kong, HONG KONG |
Entrant Company: | LEO BURNETT Hong Kong, HONG KONG |
Sales Promotion/Advertising Agency: | LEO BURNETT Hong Kong, HONG KONG |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Connie Lo | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Executive Creative Director |
Brian Ma | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Group Creative Director / Art Director |
Alfred Wong | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Creative Director / Copywriter |
Wen Louie | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Creative Director / Copywriter |
Joey Chung | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Copywriter |
Kenny Ip | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Art Director |
Nicky Sun | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Art Director |
Kennie Chung | Leo Burnett Hong Kong | Account Manager |
Hoi Yiu | Mouth Communications | IT Director / Art Director |
The Cat Society Hong Kong Ltd. rescues abandoned cats and finds them new homes. As a small, independent organisation staffed by volunteers, they have far fewer resources at their disposal than their more well-known counterparts, such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The campaign would use Facebook to showcase the personalities of 50 cats and connect them with potential adopters.
In traditional advertisements for pet adoption, consumers are shown the brand without seeing the pet. But we all know people are more likely to adopt a pet rather than a brand. So, instead of branding, we gave each of 50 cats an opportunity to “speak” for themselves - as it were - with Facebook accounts opened for them. The “cats” updated their status, shared photos and videos, posted comments and chatted online with the friends they made.
Our approach to let the animals “speak” for themselves aroused much more public and media interest than a typical advertising approach. Within three days, the 50 cats had made more than 8,000 friends. Within a month, all were adopted. The campaign has helped inspire other non-governmental organisations and given the Cat Society an effective technique to find homes for its cats. And, importantly, the media cost nothing.
Cats are cute. Cats have personality. Traditional media lacks the interactivity required to bring those elements out in the communication. Facebook allowed people to get to know the cats up for adoption. By sharing their hopes and dreams, the cats communicated directly with more than 500 million Facebook users in real time what they wanted most in life - a home. On Facebook, the cats “spoke” directly to new, young, potential adopters for themselves without being overshadowed by the brand, which is a change to the way pet adoption is promoted.