The radio is told from the perspective of a dog, who is longing for its ball. The dog describes why chasing and catching balls is the best thing in the world and what are the characteristics of the best ball. Once it sees a ball coming towards it, just like any dog, it gets overexcited to the point of barking uncontrollably. Then suddenly its daydream is over, and with complete composure, having forgotten about the ball, it tells its owner to turn left. The voice over reveals that the dog is a guide dog for blind people, and guide dogs are not like ordinary dogs. They go through training to be able to execute their job and ignore distraction, and that in Bulgaria there are only 35 for 10,000 blind people. EVN – an electricity provider, supports the training of guide dogs for the blind.

As an electricity provider, EVN has a long-term strategy of supporting people and organisations who bring light to people both literally and metaphorically, while remaining more in the background, and leaving the center stage for them. In this campaign EVN chose to support “Eyes on four paws” – an organisation specialising in the training of guide dogs for the blind. The radio spots aims to raise awareness about the value of guide dogs for blind people, to emphasise their shortage and to direct people to the campaign’s website, where they can learn how to help.

For over 10,000 blind people in Bulgaria, there are only 35 guide dogs. The extreme shortage is due to lack of awareness on two sides: Blind people are not aware that they can restore up to 85% of their normal mobility if they have a guide dog, and people are not aware they can help by adopting a dog and taking care for it during the first year of its life, until the dog is old enough to start training for a guide dog.

The campaign went on to be covered for free by some of the major Bulgarian news outlets. The donations after the campaign amounted to 20,000 euro. Enough to support the training and life tame care of a guide dog.

MVO1: Every time I see it jumping, jumping, jumping I think back to the first time I chased a ball. And I didn’t know back then that the rubber ones bounce a lot, that the leather ones burst, and that when it hits a corner it turns weirdly to one side. A ball is no stick. A ball is a ball. You have to watch it at all times, be ready to change direction, to walk through mud, whatever it takes… A ball is the meaning of every walk. This one, flying this way is the best one! It’s a tennis ball! A new one, which means its still hard! It will jump and jump high, but not too high, so it can be caught on the way up! This tennis ball is mine! Mine! Mine! MINE! MINE! MINE!… Bogdana. Let’s go left here.

MVO2: Guide dogs aren’t like other dogs. In Bulgaria there are only 35 dogs for more than 10,000 blind people. EVN supports the “Eyes on four paws” foundation so that there is more light for those, who cannot see it. Find out more at evn.bg