Why is this work relevant for Direct?

We gained donations for a brand new charity, that was created to solve an issue that most New Zealanders had never heard about, by identifying a group of people we knew would donate and capturing their hearts with a targeted message designed to make them dig deep. And they did.

Background

New Zealand has the highest domestic violence rate in the OCED and the second-highest rate of pet ownership. Yet there was nowhere that domestic violence victims could take their pets when they escaped. Because of this, 53% were staying with their abusers so they could protect their pets. It was from this insight that Pet Refuge was born - a charity set up to care for pets affected by domestic violence, so their families could escape. But first they needed to build a shelter Pet Refuge needed a high-impact, effective call to action that would motivate kiwis to donate $250,000. To do this we would need to capture the hearts of animal lovers, convince New Zealanders this is a real issue then get them to take action. .

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Our campaign showed New Zealanders that by helping to rescue a pet, they could help rescue a whole family. Our film captured the hearts of Kiwis by telling a story every animal lover could empathize with. It was a love story, but not the kind of love story that New Zealanders were used to seeing in domestic violence ads. Our film told the story of a woman and her dog, who were trapped in a cycle of abuse. Unable to take the dog with her or leave him behind to be abused, the woman felt she had no choice but to stay with her abuser. Then, once we had our animal lovers emotionally invested, the PR campaign backed up the story with statistics, facts and survivors stories. Most importantly everything directed New Zealanders to a website where they could donate to help Pet Refuge build the shelter.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We needed to reach animal lovers and persuade them to donate so Pet Refuge could build the shelter. This was such a hidden problem that simply creating a film wasn't going to be enough. We needed to convince NZers that it was a real issue and get the nation talking. So, months before the launch, Pet Refuge reached out to The NZ women's refuge and asked them to conduct a survey. This survey then became the content for all of our media pitches. Our Strategic Approach Connection: Move people through emotion Dramatise the life-changing power of loyalty and love between pets and their owners. Credibility: Inform people about our solution Stimulate a conversation and create credibility for Pet Refuge. Donation: Get people to take action: Help people contribute to our solution as seamlessly as possible.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Ahead of the launch, we reached out to NZs largest commercial radio press and online news network, NZME and shared our film, statistics, and stories with them. On the day of the launch, our film was released online and on TV. We also pre-arranged the front-page coverage in NZs largest daily newspaper (The New Zealand Herald) and ensured that the same evening our campaign would be aired on the evening news shows. Our audiences had been primed and it was time to close the loop and get money through the door Every piece of communication drove New Zealanders online to donate. To keep the donation drive top of mind, NZME ran daily updates on how the crowdfunding campaign was going alongside news stories across press, online, radio and social media until we reached the goal.

List the results (30% of vote)

Business Results Using emotion at scale our campaign was so effective, we raised a monumental $300 717 for Pet Refuge — $50 717 above their target. In just one week. Making it the single most successful campaign ever run on PledgeMe.co.nz Communications Results The campaign received a total PR value of $1,326,2067. A cumulative reach of 11,064,454 (and New Zealand has a population of only 4.8 million). And 156 media items. The shelter is being built right now and will be caring for its first lot of pets before the end of the year. So now for the first time, those affected by family violence won’t have to choose between their pets’ safety and their own.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and/or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

Despite New Zealanders knowing about our horrific domestic violence statistics many kiwis still don’t understand why victims don’t just leave. This has created a culture of shame and blame that makes it hard for women to speak about their experiences and even harder for domestic violence charities to raise funds. On top of this, the use of animal abuse as a means of control in a violent relationship was not an issue that most New Zealanders even knew about unless they had suffered from it themselves.