The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) recently approached the AAA School of Advertising's Cape Town students to develop an integrated communications campaign to highlight some of the issues which the organisation faces. The result was a selection of inspired creative works, which could easily give some of the top advertising agencies a run for their money.
From the live brief presented by the PDSA's marketing manager, Linda de Klerck, the AAA School of Advertising's graduate marketers formulated a creative brief, which was in turn put forward to the 10 student teams who were allocated to work on the campaign.
Comprising graduate marketers, designers, art directors and copywriters, each team presented its creative works to the client over a two-day period.
According to AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town's creative department faculty head, Rian Swart, the PDSA's brief sought to address the two main problems that the PDSA is currently faced with: "Firstly, there is great confusion in the public's mind between the PDSA and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
"This called for a new corporate identity, consisting of new logo proposals and signage designs. Secondly, there is very little clarity with regards to the role that is played by the two animal welfare organisations in our society."
Through their campaigns, the students were encouraged to communicate the message that the PDSA operates mobile clinics in underprivileged communities, thereby providing free treatment for sick pets.
De Klerck explains, however, that there is a much larger picture: "The organisation is also committed to improving the living conditions of communities where weak immune systems make people vulnerable to serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses. These people often contract such illnesses from the sick animals around them."
The AAA School of Advertising's students received an overwhelmingly positive response from the PDSA. The following students created the overall winning campaign:
Marketers: Lisa Carelse, Varinia Van Reenen, Duncan Self, Mwendwa Mwiti and Nicolette Odendaal
Art Directors: Karen Pienaar and Anja Pieters
Copywriters: Timothy Doyle, Astrid Grimbeek and Kwanda Kolwapi
Designers: Jordan Metcalf, Gillian Benjamin and Jonathan Leonard
Their campaign consists of a series of colourful print advertisements featuring South African children in loving interactions with their pets. Each advertisement bears the slogan, "Bettering the lives that brighten ours" along with a light-blue PDSA logo.
