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Blue Cross, the national animal welfare charity, has long campaigned against inhumane breeding practices and pet mistreatment. With breeds such as French bulldogs, pugs and Persian cats surging in popularity, the organisation faced a worrying trend: brands were inadvertently fuelling demand by featuring these animals in their adverts, despite the serious health problems associated with their flat-faced characteristics.

Our brief was to shine a spotlight on this welfare crisis and challenge the advertising industry to take responsibility. Working in partnership with the British Veterinary Association, we launched the #EndTheTrend campaign with a bold and simple mission: to urge leading UK brands to stop featuring brachycephalic pets in advertising by the end of 2023.

At the heart of the campaign was the creation of clear, authoritative guidelines for responsible pet use in advertising — a new benchmark designed to reshape industry practice. To take the message to the public, we developed a striking out-of-home campaign across London, including prominent placements on billboards and in the Underground. These visuals were designed to challenge audiences to think about the hidden suffering behind the popularity of these breeds and to spark a wider conversation about responsible representation.

Alongside this, we amplified the campaign online with a mix of petitions, social media advocacy and educational content, ensuring the message reached both industry decision-makers and the wider public. The combination of authoritative guidelines, creative activations and grassroots mobilisation helped build momentum and urgency around the issue.

The results were powerful. The campaign secured 117 pieces of media coverage, including 11 national features, with the artwork itself becoming a talking point. Most importantly, Blue Cross succeeded in reframing the debate around brachycephalic breeds, raising awareness of their welfare challenges and positioning responsible pet advertising as a pressing industry issue.