Spreading the 'Dog is For Life' message and making it stick

Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK, caring for over 15,000 dogs every year. On the run-up to Christmas, Dogs Trust brace themselves for the hundreds of unwanted dogs that will inevitably come through their doors during the holidays. A large percentage of these are puppies that have been bought as presents, without any consideration of the responsibilities that come with owning a dog. With this year being the 40th anniversary of their famous slogan ‘A Dog is For Life, Not Just For Christmas’, Dogs Trust wanted us to spread their message and make it stick.

Dogs aren’t Christmas presents and Christmas presents aren’t dogs – that’s just common sense, isn’t it? Well, during the festive period, the intake of new arrivals at Dogs Trust proves that it’s not. With this in mind, this year’s campaign plays on the absurdity of treating dogs like Christmas presents, by showing comedic scenarios where people are treating their Christmas presents like dogs. Voiced by actress and TV presenter Mel Giedroyc, this campaign uses humour to make sure the ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ message hits home.

By creating both a hero film and a suite of stand-alone scenarios, this campaign was launched in cinema and across a range of social channels. This way we were able to reach our key target audiences and maximise engagement.