Battersea tasked us with not just raising awareness of their own brand – but with championing and elevating perceptions of ALL rescue cats and dogs. 

Despite the fact that one in four pets in the UK are rescues, there’s still a massive stigma against them. People think they’ll be harder to train than a puppy or a kitten, or that it’s just not as prestigious to own a dog or a cat that hasn’t come from a breeder. But as the UK’s most beloved animal shelter, we know that rescue pets are the best pets – and that they all deserve a second chance and a happy home. So we decided to elevate rescues by elevating them to their own breed. When you go to Battersea, you don’t get a Persian, or a Labrador, or even a mongrel. You get a Rescue. And Rescue is our favourite breed.

Our campaign was designed to get people to look at rescue animals differently. We wanted to turn the category on its head, so instead of featuring sad and neglected animals, we ensured that all our rescue dogs and cats were portrayed in the most heroic and joyful way possible. Our video content was brought to life by two-time BAFTA winner Mateo Willis, known for his amazing animal cinematography on shows like Planet Earth 2 and Frozen Planet.

Each animal was paired with a bold, sassy and perception-changing statement that also celebrated their personality, look, and quirks. Our campaign stretched across TV, digital, social and OOH, telling the unique stories of Battersea rescue animals across the UK.