Digby, Imogen, Honey and TJ (aka Digby and the Gang) from TEARS Animal Rescue in Cape Town, have gone from the shelter to stardom and loving homes, as heroes of a new campaign for Hill’s Pet Nutrition South Africa. Each pet is the face of one of the foods in Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d gastrointestinal range.
“As a tribute to all pets waiting for their forever homes, we chose to feature local shelter pets rather than use professionals or stock pix for this campaign,” explains Carla Bath, Marketing Manager for Hill’s Pet Nutrition South Africa. “Digby and the Gang are the cute noses, paws and tails that bring our Prescription Diet i/d range to life.”
Imogen was absolutely ideal for Hill’s i/d Stress, which contains ingredients shown to help alleviate stress. When she arrived at TEARS the gorgeous ‘Border Shepherd’ had severe anxiety. Since eating Hill’s i/d Stress she is relaxed, playful and friendly. “Even during the shoot, Imogen was calm and completely unfazed by all the excitement,” says Bath.
According to Mandy Store, Operations Manager at TEARS Animal Rescue, finding homes for the pets in their care is an absolute priority. “We have almost 200 gorgeous, healthy cats and dogs up for adoption. The behind-the-scenes video and stunning images of Digby and Gang show how immensely adoptable they are, ready and worthy to join loving families.”
Within days of the campaign going live, enquiries started flooding in. It didn’t take long for all four pets to be adopted. “We’re ecstatic that Digby and the Gang have found wonderful, loving homes, thanks to the exposure they received as models for Hill’s. The innovative idea to use shelter dogs, means four more rescued furries have found their happily ever after home,” says Tracy Gilpin, Marketing Manager for TEARS Animal Rescue.
“We were a little apprehensive about how chaotic it might be, having four rescue pets at the studio at the same time, but they were all superstars, even though none of them had had any camera experience,” says Bath. “We made a promise that day to leverage the campaign to help these awesome dogs and cat, find the wonderful homes they deserve. It was the right thing to do!”
Look out for Digby and the Gang in the new Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d materials (posters, brochures and adverts) at veterinary outlets around South Africa. Or go to www.HillsTransformingLives.co.za/HeroPets to check out the campaign materials.
To find out more about adopting pets like Digby and the Gang contact TEARS Animal Rescue on 021 785 4482 or email tears@tears.org.za.
www.HillsTransformingLives.co.za/HeroPets / http://bit.ly/HillsHeroPets / #DigbyAndTheGang
