Homeless cats awareness week
Mjau
Can a company promote an issue that makes a real difference and creates engaging communication? Yes, the cat food producer Mjau has been doing so for a long time. Under the slogan ‘Mjau cares’(Mjau bryr sig), we have carried out several successful initiatives that have raised awareness, helped homeless cats, and sparked conversations about Sweden’s biggest animal welfare issues. One of them is Homeless cats awareness week.
Challange
We have been working with cat food producer Mjau in Vårgårda since 2016. Addressing the problem of 100,000 homeless cats in Sweden became the cause we pursue together. This concern was not a priority on the national agenda at the time. In our first year of working together, we launched a petition calling for mandatory cat registration and ID tagging. The petition gathered over 14,000 signatures, and in 2023 cat ID tagging and registration became law in Sweden.
Today, there are over 100,000 homeless cats in Sweden, and across the country, passionate individuals are working to help them. There are more than a hundred cat shelters and animal welfare organisations that work daily to improve the situation. These operations are largely run on a voluntary basis and depend on donations from the public.
Through Homeless cats awareness week, we make it easy for the public to donate food to homeless cats, while also highlighting cat shelters and raising awareness of the importance of their work.
Solution
Each year, in week 43, Homeless cats awareness week takes place – Mjau’s themed week shining a light on Swedens 100,000+ homeless cats, and all the rescue centres that work voluntarily to save them.
During this week, cat shelters place a donation box shaped like a giant Mjau-packaging in their local supermarket. Shoppers can make a simple yet meaningful contribution by purchasing cat food in store and donating it to the box, which is then donated to the local rescue centre.
The week is communicated both nationally and locally in the areas where cat shelters take part by placing a donation box in store. In addition, Homeless cats awareness week is promoted across social media – through Mjau’s own channels as well as those of the participating rescue centres and supermarkets.
Solution
Each year, in week 43, Homeless cats awareness week takes place – Mjau’s themed week shining a light on Swedens 100,000+ homeless cats, and all the rescue centres that work voluntarily to save them.
During this week, cat shelters place a donation box shaped like a giant Mjau-packaging in their local supermarket. Shoppers can make a simple yet meaningful contribution by purchasing cat food in store and donating it to the box, which is then donated to the local rescue centre.
The week is communicated both nationally and locally in the areas where cat shelters take part by placing a donation box in store. In addition, Homeless cats awareness week is promoted across social media – through Mjau’s own channels as well as those of the participating rescue centres and supermarkets.
Results
Homeless cats awareness week is an established themed week that has been held annually since its launch in 2017. Each year, the campaign generates significant coverage in newspapers, on radio and television, as well as across social media.
In 2023, we reached nearly one million people and gained attention on TV4’s morning news show, several public service radio channels and around ten local newspapers, among others. Most importantly, Mjau, together with cat lovers across the country, has collected countless amounts of food for homeless cats and brought the issue onto the national agenda.
Key insights from the project:
- “Doing well by doing good” – the PR campaign is entirely built on real initiatives that genuinely make a difference for homeless cats.
- Combine PR with social media for maximum impact – Homeless Cats Week has engaged cat lovers in social channels of both Mjau, cat shelters, and supermarkets.
- Long-term commitment pays off – Homeless Cats Week has run for seven consecutive years and still has a long lifespan ahead.
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