Spike & Biscuit Rebrand for the Charleston Animal Society

The non-profit John Ancrum Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JASPCA) struggled with an overcrowded facility, virtually no name recognition, and a poor community profile. Rawle Murdy helped the JASPCA redefine its image and raise community awareness of its mission and new location. The campaign rebranded the organization, increased visitation, boosted adoptions, and educated area residents on issues like spaying/neutering by building buzz through a fun, interactive presidential election between a dog and cat. The campaign successfully repositioned the Charleston Animal Society as a positive force in the community culminating in a record number of adoptions in 2008.

Research

· Discuss the range of research conducted through primary research of 100 people, on-the-street interviews, and speaking with vets and store owners.

· Discuss the use of secondary research for the campaign.

· Discuss the value of research in name change/branding campaigns.

Objectives

· Was the list of potential audiences appropriate?

· Connect each of the public relations objectives with the over-arching business goals.

· Make a list of key pet-related businesses that should be included for potential partnerships.

Programming

· Design a social media / digital media campaign to supplement the Charleston Animal Society campaign.

· Discuss the fun way a campaign could be designed around Spike the dog and Biscuit the cat.

· Look at the YouTube videos used during the campaign and rate their effectiveness.

· How did opening a new center for animals contribute to the rebranding efforts?

· Discuss the visual branding used during the event.

Evaluation

· Analyze the use of animal adoptions as a benchmark for success.

· Discuss the volume of media hits for the campaign. (Look at both print and broadcast and which would have contributed the most to the campaign success.)

· Discuss the level of social media penetration for the campaign.