In 2023, the number of animals entering shelters began to escalate considerably. With kennels and cages quickly filling up, the Burbank Animal Shelter strove to reverse this trend by developing a clever call-to-action campaign that would lower shelter numbers by increasing public engagement in creative and positive new ways.
Animal Shelters are frequently depicted as dark and uninviting spaces where pets are housed and cared for by uncaring individuals. To counter the “pound” and “dog catcher” image so prevalent in popular culture, the Burbank Animal Shelter partnered with Project XAV to create a fun, memorable “trailer” representative of the heart and character of the Burbank Animal Shelter.
Our goals? Amplify awareness for animal rescue and increase the number of adoptions at the Burbank Animal Shelter.
The Burbank Animal Shelter Jingle was made possible by a grant from the UC Davis Campus School of Veterinary Medicine on behalf of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program, a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and spread a welfare-centric, life-saving approach to management of animals in shelters.
As part of the award, the UC Davis team composed a call-to-action jingle that created awareness for the Burbank Animal Shelter and encouraged adoptions through catchy lyrics that called out the address and phone number in a fun and memorable way.
In addition to the clever lyrics, the animation in the video, created and donated by Project XAV a local Burbank Marketing Agency, featured animals and characters selected specifically to represent the diverse group of people who work in animal welfare, as well as those who support homeless animals either through adoption or volunteering.
The end result was a delightfully engaging call-to-action video inviting people to open their homes to pets in need and congratulating them for “feeling like a hero” for saving the lives of these well deserving animals.
The video was shared with the community through the Burbank Animal Shelter’s social media accounts, the City of Burbank Public Council and Board meetings, and the City of Burbank YouTube Channel all as part of an outreach to market the variety of services offered by the Burbank Animal Shelter.
The campaign was a huge success garnering over 2,365 views on Instagram, 965 views on Facebook, and 62 views on YouTube. It was also premiered at the City of Burbank Council Meeting and Parks and Recreation Board Meeteting which was live streamed on the Burbank YouTube Channel on June 8, 2023.
But the biggest success story of all is the number of pets who have found new homes as a result of the campaign. Adoptions increased dramatically since the video started playing, counting 315 adoptions to date, and more new adoptions each day, since the video debuted on social media.
