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Client

The Swedish Association of Professional Veterinary Clinics

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Background

Short-nosed dogs like pugs, boston terriers and bulldogs have become increasingly popular, especially in urban areas. Many of these dogs suffer from breathing problems and die prematurely - all because of ideals created by humans. The Swedish Association of Professional Veterinary Clinics wanted to take a stand against extreme breeding of short-nosed dogs through a national integrated PR campaign.

Swedes are among the most conscious consumers in the world. But apparently not when it comes to choosing pets. Our research showed that the general awareness of short-nosed dog breeds and their congenital health problems was surprisingly low. Our conclusion was that we have been blinded by the cuteness of these dogs’ short-nosed features, rather than caring about their wellbeing.

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Strategy
There are things people simply don’t want to know, and the fact that many of our dogs suffer is one of those uncomfortable truths. Our strategy was to first and foremost spread information about the effects of extreme dog-breeding in a light-hearted and easily digested format. The next step was to change the way Swedes perceive cuteness, by having them associate these dogs' cute little faces with the word “Uncute”. We knew that the truth was going to hurt, especially amongst those who own and breed these dogs. But uncomfortable truths create the necessary debate to make a change.

Campaign units
Two social media films on Facebook and YouTube - One animated film with information to first time dog buyers including a check-list to help them choose healthy puppies. The other film documented a short-nosed dog struggling to breathe, in order for people to better recognize what it sounds and looks like.

Campaign site - We created the website ogulligt.se where we gathered all information about the campaign including the films, survey results, a petition against extreme breeding and links to information from veterinary experts.

Petition - A digital petition was set up in order to gather all the voices that wanted to take a stand against extreme breeding. Even dogs could sign the petition. During the end of the campaign, more than 4000 names were handed over to the Swedish government to put pressure on them to review breeding regulations.

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Media relations - Journalists, bloggers and influencers were contacted and received information about the initiative. Opinion pieces were written and targeted the biggest dailies in Sweden in order to put pressure on stakeholders and politicians.

 

Results
- A reach of 24 million
- Influencers and journalists praised the initiative
- 4000 names gathered in the petition
- Massive response and reach in social media, creating

a heated debate on the client’s Facebook page

(no help of paid media)
- The followers of our client’s Facebook page

increased by 530%
- We managed to strengthen the client’s position as

an expert, both in society and among their members