Research: Dogs Trust

Key Phrases:

• Make 'rescue dogs' the most desirable breed in Britain. 
• The best place for a dog is a 'forever home'. 
• Give all dogs a second chance at happiness. 

Key Facts:

• Every year Dog's Trust cares for around 16,000 dogs at their 20 rehoming centres nationwide. 
• Dog's Trust never put down a healthy dog, once a dog is their care they will be looked after for the rest of their life. 
• Dogs Trust need to find homes for 13,000 abandoned dogs each year. 
• The length of a dogs stay with Dogs Trust is increasing, meaning they have less space to rescue and rehome another one. 
• They put this down to changing buying behaviour - people are buying dogs more online. 
• There is also the common misconception that rescue dogs are 'broken' or have 'issues' - most of Dog's trusts dogs need rehoming due to their previous owners having work commitments, a family crisis, a new baby or ill health. 
• 1 in 4 households in the Uk own a dog as a pet. 
• In America rescue dogs are made popular by their A-list celebrity owners e.g. George Clooney or Ariana Grande - how can you make rescue dogs 'fashionable' in the UK? 

Target Audience : British dog lover. 

Tone : upbeat and positive - do not try to shock people or come across judgemental. Do not make the dogs seem unwanted or unloved, or Dogs Trust a bad place for them to be. 

Possible Ideas: 

• Make an online campaign that could exist along-side other dog-selling sites to compete with this growing market - this could an animation, looping gifs or interactive advertisement? 
• Research into the most common rescue dogs and try to think of ways to make them 'fashionable'. 
• What celebrities in the UK have rescue dogs? 
• Hone in to this idea of a 'forever home' and the connection between a dog and their owner. 

This is Dogs Trust most recent TV ad. It shows people finding a balloon dog that then leads them to a real Dogs Trust dog that need a new home. It aims to create this idea of every dog having a 'special someone' that is meant to be their owner or forever home. I think this is ultimately a very effective ad because it has a sense of sentimentality and makes you think of the special connection we hold with our pets without bringing any form of guilt or sadness that could be associated with rescue dogs.