OPENING DOORS FOR GUIDE DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS

THE HEAD SCRATCHER

National charity Guide Dogs wanted to raise awareness of its new ‘Open Doors’ campaign against businesses who refused access to guide dogs and their owners. How could we make the issue feel relevant to a general public who largely weren’t affected by it?

THE IDEA

Guide Dogs’ research had shown that access refusal in bars, cafes and restaurants was a widespread problem for the UK’s guide dog owners.

Our strategy was to use the real-life stories of those affected, to emotionally connect with the public, and galvanise them into action.

Six owners and their guide dogs stood on a busy London Street with human and doggy placards calling for change. This emotionally-charged image and the owners’ stories of exclusion was coupled with research which exposed the scale of the issue and a lack of understanding of the law among businesses and consumers alike. One to one media briefings also included a link to an online public petition demanding that the law be strengthened against those who refuse access.

THE RESULTS

• 40 downloads of the Open Doors app

• 14% increase in petition signatures (first peak)

• 160% increase in website traffic to Open Doors page on website day of launch

• 32% of traffic to the Open Doors campaign came from organic search – higher than any other channel, with 24% coming from social and 20% direct

• At the second peak (From the 10th – 14th November) we saw a 16% uplift in petition signatures