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May 5, 2003 - Strategy Magazine
Regular Features

Campaign Spotlight
Found: Unusual campaign for Calgary Humane Society

by Kristen Vinakmens
page 4

Many people, and especially animal lovers, would stop and look with concern at a random posting for a lost cat or dog. A new guerrilla campaign by Calgary-based Tag is banking on this behaviour to create awareness for the Calgary Humane Society.

The transit and poster campaign replicates handwritten lost-and-found pet postings one would see on city streets. But instead of "Found stray cat," one of the posters says "FOUND joy helping animals in need." Explains Tag partner and CD Steve Boyd: "We thought it would strike a chord with our audience."

While the general goal is to raise awareness for the organization, there are also four specific aims, with four executions addressing each: to increase awareness of adoption, to encourage volunteering, to sell memberships and to encourage donations.

Boyd says the campaign will appeal to the everyday Calgarian, "from CEOs to blue-collar workers" who might use bulletin board notices to communicate with their peers at recreation halls and hockey rinks. People can tear off velcro strip tags on the postings to get contact information for the Humane Society.

Fifty transit ads were posted across the city mid-April, while in the campaign's second phase, Humane Society volunteers posted smaller ads on telephone poles.

Boyd says they won't be measuring results for this campaign. However, from his own personal research, he has noticed that about one in four people who walk up to the ads actually tear off the tags.

Client: Calgary Humane Society

Agency: Tag Advertising & Marketing

Creative Directors: Mike Meadus, Shannon Fox

Art Director: Mike Meadus

Copywriters: Mike Meadus, Shannon Fox

Production Manager: Glenda Dye

Production Artist: Lauri Copithorne

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