Actress Olivia Munn can attest that nothing quite compares to the unconditional love of an adopted shelter pet. Munn, along with actress Rachel Bloom and NFL star Logan Ryan are sharing their stories in the new #AdoptPureLove campaign from the Shelter Pet Project, a collaborative effort between the Ad Council, the Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund. The campaign, which encourages shelter pet adoption by highlighting the unique bond between adopted shelter pets and their owners, was created with the help of communications brand J. Walter Thompson New York, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
#AdoptPureLove includes TV and radio spots featuring Munn, Bloom and Ryan and their shelter pets. Munn appears with her loving shelter dogs Frankie and Chance. Bloom is seen with her closest confidante, shelter dog Wiley, and Ryan spends quality time playing catch with his shelter dogs Leo and Julius.
“Shelter pet adoption is a cause near and dear to my heart. Before adopting Chance and Frankie, I had no idea the amazing impact that rescue dogs could have on my life,” said actress and Shelter Pet Project ambassador Olivia Munn. “They opened my eyes to pet adoption. There are millions of shelter pets waiting for a loving home and millions of potential pet owners who may not realize the unconditional love, joy and companionship a shelter pet can bring to their lives. I’m excited to share our story and encourage people to choose adoption.”
The new campaign also features the stories of three everyday people and their adopted shelter pets. One showcases the relationship between Ahnya, a young girl with Asperger’s syndrome, and her shelter cat Lucky. Another stars Navy veteran Brian and his shelter dog Tommy, who has helped him transition back into civilian life. A third story highlights the unbreakable bond between Renee, a student, and her shelter dog Turtle. All emphasize that shelter pets are a little bit of a lot of things - some are cuddlers, some are balls of energy, some are natural comedians - but all of them are pure love. The suite of TV and radio spots are part of the fully integrated campaign complete with print, out of home and digital assets.
“Leo and Julius bring the exact amount of goofiness and joy that I need after a hard-fought football game,” said Logan Ryan. “I adopted them thinking I was going to help them but they truly helped me more. They fill my home with unconditional love.”
“My shelter dog Wiley is a cuddly ball of energy. She brightens my day and adds meaning to my life,” said Rachel Bloom. “Shelter pets each have their own personalities and endearing quirks. There really is a shelter pet for everyone.”
The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund joined the Ad Council to create the Shelter Pet Project in 2009. Since then, the campaign has positioned shelters and rescue groups as the obvious first choice for those looking to obtain a pet. The campaign ultimately seeks to increase the rate of animals adopted from shelters and rescue groups. In its lifetime, the campaign has secured $379 million in donated media, driven over 7.5 million visits to TheShelterPetProject.org and upwards of 500,000 pet searches on the site. Our research has shown that there has been a 24 percent lift in total shelter adoptions due to the campaign’s media support (vs. without any campaign media efforts).
Prospective pet owners are encouraged to visit TheShelterPetProject.org, where they can search available pets by zip code, read adoption success stories and learn valuable information about pet adoption. For daily updates, follow the Shelter Pet Project via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Individuals can also use the hashtag #AdoptPureLove to share a story about how their adopted pets changed their lives for the better.