Every year, thousands of abandoned or homeless animals are rescued by non-profit shelters, resulting in overcrowded and underfunded organisations. These shelters rely on the public to fund the countless hungry mouths within their walls and to provide good homes for the animals.
Rather than be overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, BAT spotted an opportunity to inspire the public to make a difference and created both a goal and a campaign.
A Beauty Without Cruelty initiative, BAT spokesman Smaragda Louw says, "We wanted to inspire the public to adopt animals from shelters rather than buying from breeders or pet shops. This applies to both your usual pets and exotic animals that are becoming more popular - such as Marmoset monkeys who suffer horrific cruelty, because people want them as pets. The babies are often ripped from the mothers when they are only three days old to be hand-reared. This is just one example of why the trade in exotic animals should be banned."
Statistics from the rescue community are unavailable in this country, but from the seven small rescue organisations that provide numbers, last year more than 11,000 dogs were put to sleep and more than 13,000 cats.
Emmaneel van der Merwe, Executive Creative Director of design agency New Found Form, conceptualised the campaign: "In the eyes of both the shelter animals and the shelter owners, people become heroes when they adopt an animal.
"Wim Steytler, our film director, suggested that our television ad reveals the dog owners' heroic status by showing their golden capes in reflections, silhouettes, from the dog's point of view. The unbreakable bond shown between the adopted dog and its owner will hopefully inspire the audience to adopt an animal and become a hero."
Production house Picture Tree volunteered to create the ad on a pro bono basis and brought its expertise to the execution under the eye of film director Steytler, resulting in a highly emotive, engaging ad.
Picture Tree Executive producer Gary King say, "The support we in turn got from our industry partners was overwhelming and the proof of the calibre of the contribution is evident in a piece of communication of which we are really proud."
Post-production house Mushroom Media ensured that the final product was top quality and award-winning photographer Nick Van Renen took the stills images for the print campaign. DSTV and Primedia Outdoor provided free airtime and space for the campaign to reach viewers.
Ban Animal Trading - Super Heroes from Picture Tree on Vimeo.
