R.E.S.P.E.C.T. That song has triggered soaring emotions since it was released by Aretha Franklin in 1967l. Now its power is the hinge pin of a two-minute commercial by AMV BBDO for RSPCA. And just as a black singer was an important part of the strength of the song in the sixties, animal singers enhance the strength of this spot.
The commercial is part of RSPCA’s rebrand. The organisation has partnered with global branding agency, Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), to unveil a new purpose, positioning and branding, with AMV BBDO bringing its new strategy to life. JAA delivered the media strategy and buying, which includes TV, cinema, OOH and digital; a launch partnership with Channel 4, Studio Lambert and Gogglebox will kick off the campaign.
“In the 200 years since we were founded, we’ve changed attitudes, behaviours and laws towards animals and, as a society, we have revolutionised the way we think, feel and act towards them. But between intensive farming, climate change and urbanisation, and the ongoing cost of living crisis, animals are now facing some of the biggest challenges ever. As an organisation, we have a critical role to play, but we can’t do it alone. We need as many people as possible to join us to help create a better world for all animals. Because a world that’s better for animals is a better world for us all. To do that, we needed to relook at ourselves as a brand and align our purpose, positioning and identity to achieve our goals,” stated Chris Sherwood, chief executive, RSPCA.
The new purpose was crafted to “Inspire everyone to create a better world for every animal”. This purpose was then tested using the Loops technology platform, gathering feedback from thousands of individuals both within and outside the organisation to ensure that the purpose truly reflected the RSPCA’s values and would resonate with supporters, internal teams and the wider public.
The 200-year-old brand enjoyed a remarkable 96% awareness but needed to evolve to be able to tackle the new challenges: “Evolving the RSPCA purpose and brand was a strategic business imperative given the organisation’s essential work amidst current global challenges,” explained Sean Thomas, executive creative director at JKR. “We worked collaboratively with stakeholders and representatives to unlock how the brand needed to adapt in order to meet its ambition of inspiring everyone, whoever they are, to get involved, so that together, we can help make a difference to animals’ lives.”
“Our brand hasn’t been updated since the 1970s and it has been holding us back in becoming the modern, forward-facing RSPCA we want to be. We need people to reappraise us and rethink our place in the world if we are going to face up to the huge challenges facing animals. Our bolder, brighter, welcoming brand aims to inspire everyone, whoever they are, to get involved so that together we can help animals now and for many years to come,” added Sherwood.
AMV BDDO’s rebrand campaign, For Every Kind, was created to be more than just a brand platform or an end line. It’s a rallying cry to invite every kind of person to be kind in every possible way to every kind of animal.
The hero film features the voices of RSPCA’s celebrity ambassadors actor, Brian Blessed; Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist, Chris Packham; champion ballroom dancer and TV judge, Shirley Ballas; JLS singer and TV presenter, JB Gill; and Staying Relevant podcast co-host, Pete Wicks.
Directed by Raine Allen-Miller through Somesuch, the ad goes from dark situations of neglect and cruelty to an epic celebration of animals living rich emotional lives once people start treating them with kindness and respect. The acts of kindness range from giving chicken and cows more space to have “the zoomies” to picking up a snail from a busy road; from comforting a kitten to donating to RSPCA.
RSPCA Assistant director of marketing and communications, Olivia Reid, stated, “We want people to rethink their relationship with all animals. As a nation, we love our cats and dogs, but we are also connected to billions of other animals in our lives, through the things we buy and the choices we make.
“We often don’t realise that we are unintentionally funding, fuelling or furthering suffering. From intensive farming taking place behind closed doors, use of some animals in sport and entertainment, extreme breeding, and the ‘cute’ images we share on social media, society regularly turns a blind eye to how we treat our fellow creatures. So, we are shining a light on the joy of animals living their best lives, happy and fulfilled, and full of emotions and experiences. We want everyone to realise every animal deserves our kindness and respect.”
AMV BBDO creative directors, Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones, added, “The breadth and scale of the animal welfare crisis is so great it can almost feel overwhelming.
Given the complex and varied relationships we all have with animals it was important to create something that didn’t just shock or scare people but offered a sense of hope and left you feeling inspired. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. almost felt like putting together an animal national anthem and we hope it starts conversations in households around the UK to get us all thinking about how we can be kinder to animals, whether that’s changing what we eat or just rescuing a garden snail, though we can’t guarantee they’ll all thank you by singing Aretha Franklin.”
The new brand platform’s OOH covers England and Wales, featuring a completely refreshed design system for the charity. Targeted social executions are also being rolled out to describe the specific acts of kindness people can perform for animals, big or small. And an interactive web tool on the RSPCA website has been designed to help everyone find their kind of kindness.
Credits:
Client: RSPCA
Client Team: Olivia Reid, Louise Stevens, Zoe Lomax, Sarah Durbin
(Brand)
Company: Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR)
Global Chief Creative Officer: Tosh Hall
Chief Growth Officer: Lee Rolston
Managing Director: Jonny Spindler
Executive Creative Director: Sean Thomas
Creative Director: Vicki Brown and Christopher Sharpe
Design Director: Ellen Moriarty
Senior Designer: Ross Norton
Designer: Jessica Stoddart
Copy Lead: Kathryn Hindess
Copywriter: Janelle Alanguilan
Creative Director Motion: Tom Gould
Motion Designers: Chris Frost & George Buckfield & Sophie Kovalchuk
Motion Project Manager: Lauren Hawker
Interface Director: Lee Sherman
Senior Interface Designer: Meg Botterill
Interface Project Manager: Zoe Veness
Retoucher/3D Visualisers: Giles Henderson & Callum Bigmore & Ana Tostada
Type Design: Studio Drama
Illustration: Ross Norton
Photographer: Jack Abbott
Group Business Director: Natasha Chopra
Account Director: Mimi Beaumont
Strategy Director: Russell Thomson
Head of Production: Sam Broude
Artworkers: Rob Nagel & Adam Lawrence
Senior Project Manager: Heidi Roberts
Global Marketing Director: Amy Maw
Marketing Manager: Carolyn McKeown
Global Communications Manager: Laura Lyman
(Campaign):
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
CCO: Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott
Creative Director: Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones
Creative Team: Sophie Beard and Mike Kennedy
Designer: Kate Whitley
Planning Team: Margaux Revol and Kerrie Boyes
Account Team: Alex Bird, Henrietta Corley and Georgia Phillips
Producers: Edwina Dennison, Tara Megson, Polly Lowles, Joe Sloane
Media Agency: JAA
Production Company: Somesuch
Director: Raine Miller
Producer: Elly Camisa
Executive Producer: Chris Watling
Post-Production Company: Untold Studios
Post-Producer: Ella Glazer
Executive Producer: Tom Igglesden
Creative Director: Tom Raynor
VFX Supervisors: Adam Grint
CG Lead: Kanishk Chouhan
Sound Studio: Sound Tree
Audio Producer: Jay James
Sound Engineer: Luis Almau
