Rescue puppy becomes a hero in battle of the brands
 |
The weeks leading up to Christmas are now defined by the battle of the brand adverts. But despite the huge budgets invested into mini-films from retail giants, this year’s real winner is a small pet product company from Hertfordshire.
HOWND launched its first brand movie for Facebook entitled ‘When Harry Met Hero’ on December 12. The two-minute film documents the relationship between a boy and a rescue puppy as they grow up together.
It aimed to promote the adoption of rescue dogs ahead of Christmas, following the popularity of the #AdoptDontShop campaign against puppy farming.
Viral engagement
Within a month since release, the film has been watched over 2.3 million times on Facebook, sparked by a period of mass organic sharing.
At the time of writing, the film has been shared almost 55K times and accumulated more than 300K engagements from Facebook users. By comparison Sainsbury’s ‘The Greatest Gift’ advert has generated 859K views on Facebook and 10K likes.
“Our film is performing even better than we anticipated and the organic engagement is overwhelming. Every day, thousands of dog lovers around the world continue to post positive comments and share their personal stories with us,” explains Jo Amit, the co-founder of HOWND who wrote the original script for filming.
“It’s had an impressive reach across Europe too. For example, Hundeurlaub - a German dog-friendly travel website - posted the film natively to its Facebook Page, generating 32K shares and just short of 1.8 million views.
“I think the reason it’s performing so well is because most dog owners can relate to the emotions we communicate in the story. It has a familiarity to it, which gives the characters a timeless feel.”
Directed and edited by Toby Stewart of Crocodile Films and produced by Ben Owusu, the movie reflects the special bond we have with our dogs over a lifetime. Aged 20, Toby was determined to create a mini-film that could compete with the most popular Christmas brand adverts.
“Having had dogs in my family since I was three years old, I have experienced the positive feelings associated with growing up with a dog,” explains Toby.
“Creating a short film is a challenge given the limited time to tell a story whilst building a personal connection. The main difficulty was fitting a wide range of emotions into two-and-a-half minutes. The bond shared between Harry and Hero engaged people of all ages and nationalities. They say you should never work with children or animals, but in this case I’m happy I did!”
Promoting rescue dog adoption
When Harry Met Hero starts with a chance encounter at a local fishing pond between a nine-year-old boy called Harry and an abandoned puppy, later named Hero. Realising Hero is alone, Harry convinces his mother to adopt him.
They subsequently navigate through the years as loyal companions, taking on the challenges of adolescence and adulthood, while creating timeless memories as inseparable best friends. The film ends with an ageing Hero wanting to rest instead of playing with Harry, in the same location they met 10 years ago and to which they regularly visit.
“Almost everyone has experienced a special connection to a dog that endures over the years. It’s sometimes difficult to describe such a bond in words - but we feel that Harry and Hero represent this idea beautifully on-screen,” adds Jo Amit.
“The story was inspired by my family’s own experience with our rescue dog and the bond our son has with him. Being advocates of the ‘Adopt Don’t Shop’ campaign, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to communicate in the film.”
“This isn’t a unique story by any means - but that’s what makes this movie special. It’s a celebration of the connection between a dog who is rescued and a boy who wants a companion, a feeling that many of us have experienced.”
#WhenHarryMetHero is now available to view on HOWND’s social media channels - including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It can also be viewed on the brand’s official website.
|
|
