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the message being that television
has an unparalleled ability to affect
people’s decisions. The couple adopt
Harvey.
‘Dog’s Home’ was a big hit with the
public, voted Ad of the Year by the
viewers of ITV, the UK’s biggest
commercial station by audience
share. In addition to the 260 million
broadcast TV views during the
campaign’s transmission period, the
spot has clocked up over two million
views on YouTube. Harvey has his
own Facebook page, which has been
used to support the on air campaign
as its story has evolved. In terms
of business metrics, traffic to the
Thinkbox website increased 400%
during the campaign’s initial airing.
T h e p o w e r t o p e r s u a d e
Harvey’s story continued in 2012,
with the introduction of a new
character, an even scruffier stuffed
toy called Rabbit who turns out to
be Harvey’s best friend. In ‘Harvey
and Rabbit’, TV’s power to influence
is demonstrated once again, as
Harvey plays his owners a TV advert
showing the inseparable pair’s
friendship. Rabbit is duly saved from
a one-way trip to the rubbish tip.
The third and final chapter came
with ‘Harvey and Harmony’ in 2014.
Ever resourceful, Harvey uses the
power of TV advertising to persuade
his owners to allow Harmony – a
decidedly un-scruffy poodle called
Harmony, and the love of Harvey’s
life – to move into the family home.
The ad-within-an-ad this time
shows moments from the doggy
couple’s courtship, taking in speed
dating, visits to the cinema and a
museum and a romantic picnic for
two. In she moves, swiftly followed
by a dozen or so black and white
puppies.
H i t t i n g c r e a t i v e g o l d
Thinkbox’s spots showcase the
very best aspects of television
advertising: the power to engage
audiences emotionally, to tell a story,
to communicate a consistent brand
message, and to persuade. Rather
than using dry facts and figures to
explain the undoubted benefits of TV
advertising, this campaign actually
shows how it can work for brands.
The choice of a sympathetic and
charismatic leading character makes
the Harvey series of ads stand out in
a cluttered marketing environment.
Many of the most successful British
television campaigns of recent
years have featured strong central
characters – Aleksandr Orlov, the
star of ‘Compare the Meerkat’,
Gio Compario, the larger than life
operatic tenor from ‘Go Compare’
and Barry Scott of Cillit Bang fame
spring to mind – but their brand
recognition comes at some cost:
while these campaigns have proved
hugely successful, they are often
ranked as being among the most
irritating or annoying in the eyes of
the TV viewing public.
Part of Harvey’s success, conversely,
is down to the likability of the central
character. All three campaigns have
featured highly in rankings of the
most liked ads in the years they were
shown, and they have also been very
well received by the industry, taking
home numerous awards along the
way.
Thinkbox states that its television
ads are the most successful
communication project it has
undertaken. They have helped drive
awareness of the organisation
and encouraged positive emotions
about the work it carries out, and
the campaign has brought more
senior advertising people into
contact with Thinkbox and its
services. Additionally, the campaign
has refreshed the relationship
with
existing
users,
perhaps
encouraging them to make greater
use of Thinkbox and – by doing so
– help shift perceptions about TV
advertising.