- Missed opportunity for RSPCA Victoria
- Simple online technology was required.
Few Australian non profit organisations can buy full page newspaper advertisements to fuel their campaigns. Usually, such big purchases are used to generate funds – fair enough too.
That’s why we smiled over our breakfasts at RSPCA Victoria’s splurge on this spot in Melbourne’s Saturday’s Age. It’s all to drive an advocacy campaign which is great. However…
What’s wrong with this picture? Besides a noble beast falling to its death to enable humans a chance to gamble, that is.
Look closely at the copy: it includes email addresses for Victorian Premier Baillieu and the Racing Minister, asking readers to directly send an email. Supporters are directed to send their email via the RSPCA website. So how will RSPCA measure the response? More importantly how will the RSPCA capture the email addresses of sympathetic people for future installments of this campaign? They can’t. If you were running a campaign would you like an extra 15,000 supportive email addresses? Oh dear.
No wonder Squiggle threw down his smoked salmon bagel in frustration.
RSPCA Victoria decided to spend its money and political capital to directly challenge a new government and a powerful lobby – bravo. Opportunities like this don’t come round often – it’s a shame not to make the most of them.
Not so much as a campaign to collect email but to raise awareness and clog a politians inbox. The RSPCA brand is well recognised regardless and having a few extra database entries does not mean you will convert them into $$ for themselves via future donations. Giving the audience the power to complain direct is powerful in itself. This is just good karma for the RSPCA. They will see the benefits in other ways
I see your point Shaun, but think that if they’d collected email addresses as part of the campaign design they’d not only increase their database (show me a charity that doesn’t want that) they’d also be able to keep people who have specifically indicated their interest updated on the progress of this issue.
That’s no small thing.
Punters don’t want to think their email has gone into the ether, they want to feel like part of a collective effort that is making change happen.
Totally agree with your comments, silly marketing dept at rspca. Lack of good web strategy. BUT you’re post in confusing, it caused me to have a furrowed brow….”Look closely……asking readers to send an email. You don’t send the email via the RSPCA website.” What you mean to say is “THEY SHOULD HAVE SENT an email through the RSPCA website”… I’m being picky I know…
would have been cheaper and more effective to send it to facebook or twitter. Create a global campaign. that would have really clogged the mailboxes. On another note, when is the Million Paws Walk, Im a donor of the RSPCA and i havnt recieved Diddly boo about it