The RSPCA are commonly known for the great work they do with cats and dogs but some people don't realise they care for all animals - including horses.

This week we launched an integrated campaign to help the RSPCA raise funds to cover the cost of rehabilitating the 140 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from Spindles Farm, near Amersham last year, which you may have read about in the press. The investigation and prosecution has been one of the RSPCA's biggest ever, and the cost of providing care and treatment for the animals has been over £850,000. Officers from World Horse Welfare, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, The Horse Trust, vets and Thames Valley Police worked alongside the RSPCA in very difficult conditions to rescue and care for the surviving animals from the terrible scene.

Our campaign includes DRTV and online as well as press ads and was co-ordinated to tie-in with editorial coverage of the court's verdict and sentencing. All elements of the campaign therefore needed to be turned around at high speed because of the short-term nature of broadcast news.

Like our Biggest Animal Rescue campaign, the DRTV ad is fronted by the RSPCA's Chief Officer Inspectorate Tim Wass. It also features RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Hampton, who was first on the scene at Amersham and who describes how many of the animals had little food or dry bedding and were crammed into pens ankle-deep in their own faeces. Other horses had simply been left to die where they fell.

It's an upsetting case but clearly demonstrates the unique nature of RSPCA and why there will always be a need for them. Why don't you take a look at the ad for yourselves?

Hayley Canning

Posted by Whitewater Team at 09:32 AM | Permalink

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

Posted by Whitewater Team at 09:49 AM | Permalink

We're really proud to announce that Home for Life, a legacy product that we developed with the RSPCA, is one of just two nominees in the Fundraising category of this year's DMA Awards.

The DRTV ad that we developed and blogged on recently has been an integral part of Home for Life's success, along with inserts and press ads, all placed by media agency MC&C.

Home for Life offers pet-owners a genuine benefit; giving them the assurance that, should they pass away, the RSPCA will do its best to find a suitable new home for their bereaved pet. It's the embodiment of a progressive legacy strategy with the supporter at its core, and we're really happy to see this approach not only working so well, but also being recognised by the prestigious DMA Awards.

The awards are on 4th December. Cross those fingers now...

Richard Halliday

Posted by Whitewater Team at 04:52 PM | Permalink

We first tested DRTV for the Brooke last summer – with limited success, but there were promising signs. While the campaign didn’t meet all its targets it was responsive; that gave us something to build on. So in February and March this year we ran creative tests – a version with a male voiceover, new music and a different ending. Sure enough, the new ad beat the control, and the summer campaign has been a runaway success! You might have read about the production process here – now click below and watch the winning ad!

Alex Wordsworth

Posted by Whitewater Team at 10:47 AM | Permalink

The TV ad we developed to promote the RSPCA's fantastic legacy product - Home for Life – absolutely demolished its targets in the first month on air. Watch it and see why!

Richard Halliday

Posted by Whitewater Team at 04:10 PM | Permalink