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Through the blanket of charity advertisers and in particular animal

charities, the RSPCA's latest direct response TV (DRTV) campaign is

definitely an attention grabber.

Rather than follow the usual route of cute, defenceless, abused animal

with a story to tell, the cute puppy story has a twist.

Playing on the phrase 'a puppy is not a toy', the creative takes the

style of a toy ad, featuring a typical family.

The kids are initially delighted at receiving the puppy as a

present.

While the voiceover concentrates on their misconceptions about owning a

puppy, the realities are shown in the visuals - the little accidents,

the puppy begging for attention by making a mess or a nuisance, the

companionship aspect. The puppy is left on its own, however.

The final shock is the father secretly placing the puppy in a sports bag

and then throwing the bag in the river - a fate suffered by many

pets.

The final points about owning a puppy are flashed across in a 'batteries

not included' style, with the all-important donation telephone

number.

From a media perspective, the ads are placed in good, traditional DRTV

slots - low-interest programming with low viewing figures, so call

handling is manageable. But the different approach, which leads the

viewer from an almost safe environment to the shock ending makes this

stand out from the crowd and should deliver the desired donation

response.