A silly way to talk about a serious issue
City of Belmont
Tails from Tomato Lake
Our beloved four-legged friends can’t do any wrong, right? Wrong. When the City of Belmont began experiencing more pet-related incidents, it was clear the issue wasn’t really the pets. We needed to encourage people to take more responsibility for their animals’ behaviour, without making the campaign feel like a wagging finger from the City.
Project partners:
The Problem
People blame pets, not owners.
It’s easy to blame the pets. The barking dog, the wandering cat, the surprise little gift left on the footpath. Dog attacks were rising, native birds were being eaten and stray kittens were multiplying at an alarming rate.
Irresponsible pet ownership had become a real problem for the City of Belmont, so with a slim budget, we needed a PSA that could punch above its weight and be heard clearly, no matter whose mouth it came from...
The Idea
Giving the pets a voice – Literally.
Responsible pet ownership can be a serious message, but that doesn’t mean the work has to be. To remind pet owners to take more responsibility for their pets’ behaviour, we imagined what might be going through the minds of Belmont’s dogs and cats.
Rather than telling people what to do, we used a less-than-serious approach to make the message feel more engaging, relatable and memorable. It gave people a reason to pay attention, while still landing the importance of doing the right thing.
And yes, we would like to formally apologise for only making one poop joke. We promise to do better next time.