Thanks to a recent pet shelter advertising campaign, Strategic Insights brought added a silver Addy Award to the mantle. In past years, Strategic Insights has had a strong showing at the local Addys, sponsored by the Ad Club of the Triangle, bringing home multiple awards in various categories. 2008 was more of a “quality over quantity” type of year. Awarded a silver in the “public service” category was a billboard campaign the agency created for the Animal Protection Society of Durham. The APS not only adopts out homeless pets, but teaches “responsible pet ownership.”

Creative Director Bill Cokas says the idea for the pet shelter advertising billboards, depicting people interacting with inanimate objects as substitutes for pets, was inspired by imagining what our world would be like without animals of any kind.

“Once you take animals out of the equation, it’s vastly different planet indeed. That’s the kind of impact you can’t ignore, whether you’re an animal lover or not,” Cokas said. We’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog.