Social Marketing Strategic Plan

For my final undergraduate project, I chose a topic deeply meaningful to me—animal welfare, specifically dog adoption. As a passionate advocate for rescue animals, I wanted to create a project that not only showcased my skills but also had a real-world impact. Inspired by my own experience adopting my German Shepherd mix, I saw firsthand the challenges shelters face in placing older puppies and large-breed dogs into homes. This project allowed me to merge my passion with my expertise in design, branding, and strategic marketing to develop a campaign that increases adoptions while reshaping public perceptions of these dogs.

Project Overview-

This campaign encourages the adoption of "hard-to-save" (HTS) shelter dogs while raising awareness of their value as both companions and home protectors. By leveraging strategic partnerships, promotional materials, and adoption incentives, the campaign combats stereotypes surrounding large-breed, older, and high-energy dogs, ultimately increasing adoption rates.

Key Components-

Marketing Strategy: Partnered with BarkBox to provide 3 free months of toys for adopters, developed promotional flyers, and executed a digital awareness campaign.

Adoption Events: Organized five major adoption events, each followed by a free training workshop for new owners.

Retail & Digital Engagement: Distributed adoption awareness materials in pet stores and launched a social media campaign to challenge common misconceptions.

Impact Measurement: Adoption rates, BarkBox redemptions, and shelter funding tracked over six months, with evaluation checkpoints at 3 and 5 months.

This project blends marketing, social impact, and advocacy to address a critical issue in animal welfare. Click through the gallery to explore all 31 pages of my project!