The strong love the British
feel for their animals is one of the nation?s many idiosyncrasies. According to a survey conducted by pet
charity The Blue Cross, 97% of pet owners take it as far as routinely chatting
to their companions. This finding has
inspired the organisation to launch an innovative viral campaign based on a
quirky, tongue-in-cheek website called www.talkingpets.org, which makes it possible for owners
to hear their animals talk back to them.
The aim of the exercise is to promote The Blue Cross?s upcoming social
networking platform, All About Pets.
Visitors can choose an
animal from a selection of cats and dogs, or upload a picture of their own pet,
and personalise its appearance using a number of backgrounds, ranging from sunny
beach to benighted snowscape, and accessories such as hats, wigs, jewellery,
neckties and even a scuba mask complete with snorkel. The next step is to pick a voice from the six
(three male and three female) that are on offer, before typing a message for
them to say.
Once the creation is
complete, it can be forwarded to friends or added to the user?s Facebook
profile, leveraging the viral potential of social media to raise public
awareness of All About Pets? imminent launching.
The inventiveness of the
campaign provides yet another illustration of the British non-profit sector?s
inventive, hands-on approach to social media marketing, an attitude now served
by YouTube?s recently announced United Kingdom Non-profit Programme, an offering that includes increased
branding and upload capacity as well as favoured positioning on the popular
video sharing site.
All About Pets will be
officially launched in August 2008, although its founders claim that it has
already attracted over 5,000 visitors.
Recent entries posted on the network include tips on how to protect pets
from the heat, considerations on the first anniversary of the Animal Welfare
Act and story about a parrot that saved the lives of three people.