For Every Kind

For more than two centuries, the RSPCA has been pushing boundaries and raising standards to help animals live fairer and better lives. Now, in a pivotal moment, the charity introduces a new strategy designed to respond to the growing challenges faced worldwide and inspire a million acts of kindness for animals.

To define its next 200 years, the organisation has partnered with global branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) to unveil a new purpose, positioning and branding. The charity has also tasked creative agency AMV BBDO to bring its new strategy to life through a powerful and empathetic brand platform. JAA delivered the media strategy and buying, which includes TV, Cinema, OOH and Digital; a launch partnership with Channel 4, Studio Lambert and Gogglebox will kick off the campaign.

The process involved working with stakeholders, representatives from RSPCA’s 140 local branches, and services, including rescue operations, policy and advocacy and scientific research. “In order to authentically represent all those impacted by the RSPCA, it was crucial that everyone connected to the organisation felt valued and heard as we built this out.”

A New Purpose and Brand Experience

JKR's immersion in the RSPCA went beyond standard research processes. The team travelled to various locations across the UK, such as its animal centres, hospitals, branches and its national call centre, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the organisation and its breadth of work in animal welfare. They attended internal leadership conferences and business organisational meetings, participated in on-the-ground immersion days at RSPCA Assured Farms and Animal Centres, went out on the road with animal rescue officers, visited local RSPCA shops, and took part in immersive workshops.

Off the back of this, a new purpose was crafted to inspire people to support the RSPCA and the animal welfare cause: "Inspire everyone to create a better world for every animal." This purpose was then tested using the Loops technology platform, gathering feedback from thousands of individuals both within and outside the organisation. This ensured that the purpose truly reflected the RSPCA's values and would resonate with supporters, internal teams and the wider public.

With a new purpose in place, the next step was to align it with the brand identity and experience to drive a shift in perception. This encompassed every aspect of brand interaction, from physical, digital, and tonal elements.

The 200-year-old brand enjoyed a remarkable 96% awareness but needed to evolve to be able to tackle the new challenges: "Evolving the RSPCA purpose and brand was a strategic business imperative given the organisation's essential work amidst current global challenges," explains Sean Thomas, Executive Creative Director at JKR. "We worked collaboratively with stakeholders and representatives to unlock how the brand needed to adapt in order to meet its ambition of inspiring everyone, whoever they are, to get involved, so that together, we can help make a difference to animals' lives.”

The new strategic positioning and brand identity have been built to help drive awareness, broaden understanding and shift perceptions. With a focus on garnering more support, this initiative aims to fulfil the organisation's ultimate purpose of inspiring everyone to create a better world for every animal.

For Every Kind

The rebrand campaign “For Every Kind”, developed with AMV BBDO, was created to be more than just a brand platform or an end line. It’s a rallying cry to invite every kind of person to be kind in every possible way to every kind of animal.

The magnitude of the crisis for animal welfare is such that we need everyone, not just the traditional animal advocates, to join in and help the RSPCA. With For Every Kind, the charity wants to help nudge each and every one up the scale of animal welfare, one kind action at a time. Central to this campaign is the 2-minute film, which portrays a wide and wild range of animals, from battery chickens to abandoned kittens, from lobsters about to be served at a restaurant to dogs left in hot cars, all singing along the iconic Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” track, asking for just “a little respect”. Featuring the voices of RSPCA’s celebrity ambassadors actor Brian Blessed, Wildlife TV Presenter and Conservationist Chris Packham, champion ballroom dancer and TV judge Shirley Ballas, JLS singer and TV presenter JB Gill and Staying Relevant podcast co-host Pete Wicks, the ad encapsulates a vision for animals that’s more needed than ever.

Directed by Raine Allen-Miller through Somesuch, the ad goes from dark situations of neglect and cruelty to an epic celebration of animals living rich emotional lives once people start treating them with kindness and respect. The acts of kindness range from giving chicken and cows more space to have “the zoomies” to picking up a snail from a busy road; from comforting a kitten to donating to RSPCA.