Who can resist cute puppy dog eyes? Especially when they belong to a future Guide Dog that will one day help bring independence to a person with low vision or blindness?
Adorable puppy ‘cutebaits’ are starring in a series of bold, out-of-home (OOH) billboards, alongside an oversized QR code, in the first campaign by The Royals for Guide Dogs Australia (GDA), promoting the charity’s June end of financial year (EOFY) donation drive.
Inspired by the knowledge that giving to a good cause and adorable animals both provide a powerful mood booster, The Royals set out to do just that in OOH executions by featuring Guide Dogs’ cutest happy-making asset: puppies. The billboards are dominating public transport shelters on the east coast of Australia across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Scanning the QR code – or ‘CuteR’ code in this case – takes commuters to a donation landing page, inviting them to give the gift of independence to Australians with low vision or blindness by making a tax-deductible donation to Guide Dogs before June 30. The use of QR codes allows The Royals and Guide Dogs Australia to track the panels to donations and measure the effectiveness of the campaign.
The Royals’ executive creative director Sebastian Vizor said: “Around EOFY there is so much fodder fighting for our attention so we needed a way to stand out. Luckily, adorable puppies are better than any headline when it comes to getting people’s attention, so we left it at that. The use of the QR code creates intrigue, which turns into immediate action to collect those vital donations.”
Charlie Spendlove, head of marketing and communications at Guide Dogs, added: “This is an attention-grabbing and unexpectedly simple campaign to drive donations and create talkability on the streets. It takes two years and over $50,000 to breed, raise and train just one life-changing Guide Dog. Without the generous donations we receive from the community, we wouldn’t be able to place Guide Dogs by the sides of their forever Handlers, where they provide loyalty, companionship and a unique and powerful bond to help a person with low vision or blindness achieve their individual goals and live the life of their choosing.”
The Royals were appointed to the GDA account earlier this year with a brief to build brand salience and broader understanding of the services and supports Guide Dogs organisations across Australia provide to thousands of people who are blind or have low vision, and ultimately to help drive donations to fund this vital and life-changing work.
