Transforming the RSPCA

Over the past two years, I've had the immense honour of leading the RSPCA's total rebrand. It has been an absolutely mammoth undertaking, but one that is critical for the future of the RSPCA and the animals we're here to protect. In this milestone 200th year, we're turning up the volume like never before on animal welfare and inviting everyone to radically rethink their relationship with animals.?

Why Rebrand? Why Now??

While we're fortunate to have a strong brand heritage, we can't just rest on our laurels. Animals today face some of the biggest? threats in our 200-year history. From the escalating climate crisis to intensive farming practices, from habitat loss to the squeezing cost-of-living pressures — the challenges facing animals have never been greater. There are 25 million cats and dogs in the UK, a staggering 1 billion chickens slaughtered for meat in the UK. And habitats are vanishing at alarming rates. Unless we put animal welfare back into the spotlight as one of the most critical causes of our time, we risk animals' lives getting worse not better.

As the challenges to animals are changing, we have to change too, so we are more relevant and effective in meeting these challenges. The RSPCA's role is more important than ever before, but we can't do it alone. We need as many people as possible to join our movement to build a better world for animals. That means reaching out to communities and individuals who haven't traditionally felt the RSPCA was for them. As the biggest animal welfare charity in the UK we need to bring together organisations and individuals, whoever they are, to speak up for animals - because if we don’t do it, who will??

How did we do it?

With 200 years of iconic heritage, changing a brand of this magnitude came with huge responsibility. The evidence was clear that the brand was holding us back and limiting our ability to achieve our ambitious strategy. But in reimagining such a legacy, we had to handle it with great sensitivity and stay true to its origins. That's why, following a rigorous selection process, partnering with the brilliant global agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), we looked back deep into our roots to rediscover what drove and motivated our founders who inspired animal welfare movements worldwide. Looking back into our history has provided the pivotal insights needed to develop an authentic, ambitious? RSPCA, fit for the future.?

Along this journey, we also gathered invaluable insights from stakeholders across the animal welfare ecosystem and conducted extensive audience research. Our rigorous data-driven approach and iterative creative development process reassured stakeholders that this transformative, rebrand will reignite this iconic British institution, and most importantly, inspire more people than ever before to take action to improve animals' lives.

At the heart of our new, energized RSPCA brand is a galvanizing purpose to rally people together like never before. Our brighter, bolder, more welcoming brand has been purposefully designed to inspire everyone to create a better world for all animals — from pets,wildlife, farmed animals to those used in science.?

Uniting with purpose

I'm a true believer in the power of brand to spark seismic change. From my time at Prostate Cancer UK, I witnessed firsthand how a rebrand goes far beyond identity. In 2012, men did not talk about prostate cancer, and the charity lacked credibility and distinction despite it being for the most common cancer in men. Our goal? Get men to pay attention to this disease and break the taboo.

The now iconic, bold masculine brand’s success was driven by a commitment to building the brand from the inside out. We galvanized the entire team by rallying around a clear, unified purpose. We then delivered a single-minded marketing strategy focused on communicating directly with men on their turf. Global football superstars now proudly wear the prostate cancer pin badge on primetime TV in solidarity with men. We cracked the channel most loved by men and took prostate cancer out of the shadows. In doing so we created a societal shift that is saving men’s lives.?

A rallying cry

Our "For Every Kind" RSPCA brand campaign, developed in partnership with the awesome AMV BBDO is a rallying cry that encourages everyone to radically rethink their relationships with animals. Often, we don't realize just how unintentionally we're funding, fueling or enabling suffering. From intensive factory farming happening behind closed doors, to animals used for certain sports and entertainment, from extreme breeding practices to sharing those "cute" animal videos online — our society regularly turns a blind eye to how we're treating our fellow creatures. That's why we're shining a spotlight on animals living their best lives, happy and fulfilled with rich emotional experiences. We want everyone to realise every single animal deserves our kindness and R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

The energy of the RSPCA team today is infectious. Huge shout out to everyone who has made this happen Chris Sherwood Tracey Pritchard Louise Stevens Zoe Lomax Jo Toscano Takami Moodie Sara Howlett Kate Bromley Catherine Peerless RSPCA AMV BBDO Jones Knowles Ritchie ... Join us at https://rspca.org.uk/foreverykind