April 2012
1 post
6 tags
Show Your Soft Side
Baltimore athletes show their “soft side” in a campaign to end animal abuse. This is one really great example of how to use celebrities properly. While it may not always work to use a famous face in your campaign, it’s done really well here. Well-known, manly figures in the sports world are used to spread this message in a silly, yet adorable way. The coolest part is that...
March 2012
2 posts
5 tags
"Selling" Nonprofit
I have been posting a lot of effective and sometimes weird marketing and advertising advice for nonprofit animal rights organizations, but you might be wondering why it matters to me. Some people think that marketing involves taking advantage of people and tricking them into buying something, but when it comes to nonprofit groups, the goal is to increase awareness of the cause and convince...
5 tags
Twisted, Cute, and Funny
While I was looking through some ads against animal abuse, I found a really interesting campaign that Deutscher Tierschutz created pairing cute animals with disturbing animal rights issues. This one, which advocates for animal protection laws focused in animal testing, is a great example of how to use humor when addressing a very real problem. The cute characters catch your attention and the...
February 2012
8 posts
3 tags
Nostalgic Marketing
When you’re working for a nonprofit organization, you have to focus on keeping your marketing costs (and all costs) down to a minimum. So rather than hiring a big marketing agency to develop an advertising plan for your organization, focus more on using a simple, recognizable message. Utilize existing themes and characters that people can relate to for inspiration. This quote from The...
5 tags
Westminster Dog Show Cuts Pedigree
This year the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show decided to drop Pedigree as a sponsor because Pedigree’s advertisements are apparently “too sad.” The dog show, which occurred this Monday and Tuesday, was instead sponsored by Purina due to their fun, happy ads. David Frei, Director of Communications, said “We want people to think of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show as...
3 tags
World Spay Day 2012
The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are currently hosting the 2012 World Spay Day, a photo contest for pet owners to raise funds for spaying and neutering. The two organizations are asking people to submit a photo of their pets along with a short description. The one with the most votes in a specific category wins a prize. Some of the photos show real...
5 tags
4 tags
Pet Finder
As an animal lover, I spend a lot of my time wishing I had the time and space to adopt a dog. In my free time I click through Pet Finder and imagine how wonderful it would be to rescue one of the many adorable dogs on the site.
But Pet Finder isn’t just a great way to pass the time, they do a really good job with the organization of their site. It’s extremely user-friendly and...
4 tags
Pit Bulls Against McDonald's
Recently McDonald’s released a series of radio ads promoting their new Chicken McBites as “less risky than petting a Pit Bull.” Really? That’s the best you could come up with? As a dog-lover, I know that not all dogs have the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving environment and Pit Bulls seem to get a bad rap because of their bad luck. Yes, they are tough, strong...
4 tags
WatchI Hate Balls - a hilarious campaign about neutering and spaying your pets started by the Jason Debus Heigl foundation.
This shows how you can use humor to inspire a following and increase awareness of a cause. And it will make you laugh.
Learn more about this cause on the I Hate Balls website.
3 tags
January 2012
1 post
4 tags
It Begins
I’ll admit it, I’m dog-obsessed. I work at a doggie daycare which might be the best job ever. When I’m not working with dogs, I spend my time in class learning marketing/social media/business principles from some truly talented professors at Champlain College.
My goal in writing this blog is to provide you with some insights into the marketing and animal rights worlds.
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