SecondeChance.org, the French animal adoption platform, looks back at the incredible success of its “Black Dog” operation, launched last October to help black dogs find a family. By using the popularity of Taylor Swift’s song “The Black Dog”, the association has triggered a real tidal wave of visits to these neglected dogs, with exceptional results.
The analysis is clear: black dogs face a sad phenomenon – they stay on average four times longer in shelters because of their color. A disastrous situation also known as the “Black Dog Syndrome”. This phenomenon is particularly problematic after the summer, a period when more than 60,000 animals are abandoned each year.
Faced with this reality, SecondeChance.org decided last October to carry out an original operation to give a boost to the adoption of black dogs. With the help of ad agency BETC Paris, the association had the idea of taking advantage of the craze surrounding Taylor Swift’s song “The Black Dog”, which generated more than 120 million streams and billions of Internet searches, to attract the attention of the singer’s fans.
The operation consisted of renaming hundreds of black dogs with a new and very special name: that of the singer. “Kiki”, “Bonzaï”, “Chipie” and even “Zeus” were thus renamed… Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift but also Taylor Swift.
The objective was clear: to capture the attention of the “Swifties” – the millions of passionate fans of the star, whose power is so great it can change the price of eggs or affect the GDP of Singapore – by using the incredible visibility generated by the song. A successful gamble, which attracted the attention of the media (BFM, Le Figaro…) and social networks.
And the results are there:
“Within a few hours, the profiles of our black dogs, which are usually the least viewed, experienced a peak in visits never seen before. We warmly thank the Swifties for their incredible support,” explains Florence Lepage, president of Second Chance.
The operation generated content inspired by the world of Taylor Swift, as well as massive shares and messages of support, relayed on social networks. The result is unprecedented: an influx of visits to the association’s website and a surge in requests to adopt these black dogs, long left behind.
This original initiative not only raised awareness of the issue of “Black Dog Syndrome” among the general public, but also offered a new chance to animals that would normally still be in shelters. A landmark operation for SecondeChance.org, which shows that a good idea with no production costs or media investment can yield unexpected results.
