Cape Town - Every year, thousands upon thousands of abandoned or homeless animals are rescued by non-profit shelters, resulting in over-crowded and under-funded organisations.
These shelters rely on the public to fund the countless hungry mouths within their walls as well as to provide good homes for the dogs and cats that find themselves in this situation.
Rather than be overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, Ban Animal Trading (BAT) spotted an opportunity to inspire the public to make a real difference. This prompted both a goal and a campaign.
A Beauty Without Cruelty initiative, BAT spokesperson Smaragda Louw says: "We wanted to inspire the public to adopt animals from shelters rather than buying from breeders or petshops."
Emmaneel Van der Merwe, Executive Creative Director of design agency New Found Form, conceptualised the campaign: "In the eyes of both the shelter animals and the shelter owners, people become heroes when they adopt an animal.
"Wim Steytler of Picture Tree, our film director, suggested that our television ad reveals the dog owners’ heroic status by showing their golden capes in reflections, silhouettes and from the dog's point of view. The unbreakable bond shown between the adopted dog and its owner will hopefully inspire the audience to adopt an animal and become a hero."
Picture Tree volunteered to create the ad on a pro bono basis and brought its expertise to the execution under the watchful eye of acclaimed film director Steytler, resulting in a highly emotive, engaging ad.
Watch it here:
Ban Animal Trading - Super Heroes from Picture Tree on Vimeo.