The RSPCA has been running DRTV ads for ten years now. The ads are as emotive as you might expect, telling stories of animals abused and neglected, before being rescued by RSPCA Inspectors.

Some ads have worked better than others, but there's never been a real breakthrough in results. So our client Louise was eager to ‘break the mould', and willing to take a risk or two.

I'd always wondered if the ads we had made for RSPCA were a little too 'contrived'. For maximum emotional impact you had to construct scenes that would never realistically be caught on camera. Actors and animal models were frequently used.

So we took a risk: the Biggest Animal Rescue DRTV ad is fronted by the RSPCA’s Chief Officer Inspectorate, Tim Wass, intercut with sequences of real RSPCA rescue animals waiting for new loving homes. Phone, SMS and online response options were offered, as well as a campaign specific microsite where Tim can be seen interviewed at more length about the appeal.

I do admit to being a bit concerned. The ad didn't pull my heartstrings as much as what had gone before; but what it did have was urgency, tangibility and reality.

I needn't have worried. The results have blown previous ads out of the water. Get real Couldry!

Nick Couldry