Britain is supposedly full of animal lovers but not everybody loves dogs. We needed to identify those people who not only love animals but who might also be open to finding out more about adopting a rescue animal. Even though Battersea Dogs Home is a famous institution, most people have never been there and don’t think about Battersea when they want a new family pet.

This is a campaign that only worked for our target audience. To drive leads we allowed prospects to self-select via a leafleting campaign. We then used RFID technology to track them and deliver targeted messaging throughout a journey. The campaign contained a number of interconnected touchpoints including leaflets and digital screens that carried a clear and specific call to action. We drove them towards a specially created Twitter feed and a microsite which would help us track unique views.

A stray dog looking for a home follows you around. We wanted to try and recreate that same targeting and emotional engagement to help Battersea find ‘forever homes’ for more of their residents.

Battersea Dogs Home leaflets with wafer thin RFID tags embedded within them were handed out to shoppers at a giant mall. Those who chose to take a leaflet ‘self-selected’ as our target audience. The RFID tags made them 'discoverable' by sensors around the shopping center. These triggered Barley, an ex-Battersea dog, to appear on multiple interconnected digital screens as the target passed them. Code was written to ensure that the correct video was served according to various factors; EG: if they'd passed it more than once, how many screens they'd passed etc to create a truly tailored experience. The final message served pointed people back to their leaflet. This drove to #lookingforyou Twitter feed featuring homeless dogs and a microsite.

The campaign ran everyday from 12 noon – 2pm over 2 weeks at Westfield Shopping Mall.

Early indications show we have started to drive new leads for rehoming. In 2 weeks:

We generated interest from 10 times more potential rehomers than Battersea currently have dogs; 1362 unique views to the microsite vs 125 dogs.

33% of traffic to the main Battersea site was from the microsite.

79% of had never visited the Battersea site before.

#lookingforyou was used 850 times in one week. (Above average for a Battersea #).

237K video views on Battersea’s FB page and YouTube channel.

425 million impressions.

99% positive sentiment.

Battersea Dogs Home was founded in 1853 and is a famous organization in the UK. The charity rehomes over 3000 dogs every year. Sadly however, its kennels are still full. Britain is full of animal lovers but many don’t think about a rescue animal because they simply don’t see many strays roaming the streets. Battersea organize many fund raising events every year but they needed to do something to increase the number of animals finding ‘forever homes’.