Metro Detroit

New online campaign aimed to raise feline adoption, awareness for Humane Society

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo provided The Michigan Humane Society’s “Purr Michigan” campaign hopes to raise awareness and adoption rates for cats across the state. Photo provided The Michigan Humane Society’s “Purr Michigan” campaign hopes to raise awareness and adoption rates for cats across the state.

The Michigan Humane Society’s latest awareness promotion is a copycat campaign.

In a play off the popular and successful “Pure Michigan” ad campaign to promote tourism in the state, the MHS unveiled its “Purr Michigan” campaign to rave reviews online.

“We were just sitting around brainstorming and came up with the idea,” MHS public relations coordinator Kevin Hatman said, noting that the first two videos had received more than 7,000 views in less than a month.

“For some reason, we were talking about ‘Pure Michigan,’ and we thought of ‘Purr Michigan.’”

Just like their “Pure Michigan” counterparts, the “Purr Michigan” ads, which can be found on YouTube, feature a voiceover and relaxing piano music with videos and stills of Michigan streets and landscapes.

Where the campaigns differ, though, is where the “Pure Michigan” ads result in a specific state locale and its unique features, “Purr Michigan” results in the unique aspects of cat ownership.

One of the first videos titled, “5 a.m. Feeding Times” showcases the experience of having a cat wake up its owner in the early morning because a feeding bowl “isn’t going to fill itself.”

And the other video, “Saturday Afternoons,” shows that even when choosing to remain indoors and forgo trips to cider mills and football games that are lauded in “Pure Michigan” ads, cat owners are never lonely.

While there are only two videos currently available, Hatman said, others are scheduled for production, and if the program is successful enough, MHS plans to accept and produce ideas from the public for future videos.

The “Purr Michigan” campaign also features a website, www.purrmichigan.org, that features the videos, information on adoption, photos of available cats and recipes from “Chef Meow-io Batali.”

“Purr Michigan” follows other unique programs, such as the MHS’s cat lease program, that have been installed to promote cat adoption during the summer.

“The warmer months are extra challenging for animal shelters and rescue groups across the country due to the high number of cats that come through the doors,” said Michael Robbins, MHS vice president of marketing and communications, in a release.

“In ‘Purr Michigan,’ we want to bring attention to a serious problem in a fresh, funny and unique way. Given how rewarding cat ownership can be, everyone will want to experience ‘Purr Michigan’ firsthand!”

Adoptable cats from the MHS include spaying or neutering, microchipping and all age-appropriate vaccinations. Adoption fees range from $20 to $65. For more information, call (866) 648-6263.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.