It is not often that an idea and campaign originated in NZ is a World FIRST
It is not often that a CD reaches No. 1 without any human able to hear any sound!
And it is not often that more than $1.1m of exposure is delivered (through media and PR) for the princely sum of $5,502!

Well, all of this was achieved!

There is a proven formula for most charity fundraising campaigns - show images of suffering and appeal to people’s guilt or compassion to ask for a donation. With the proliferation of charity appeals, SPCA were finding it increasingly difficult to break through the clutter and get their share of donations.  An approach was devised to overcome this challenge, giving donors something of value in return for their cash.

Added to this, seasonally Christmas is the time of year when the SPCA suffers from an influx of abandoned pets.  Increased awareness of this issue through the campaign assisted in a phenomenal level of dog adoptions.

SPCA’s tiny budget definitely caused some head-scratching.  But believing passionately in the cause meant that, having put collective brains together to somehow make the campaign pay for itself and more, a solution was found…..which was to create a product for sale, a CD for dogs - the perfect Christmas gift for the family canine!

The CD was a world first – a song that only dogs can hear, recorded at high frequencies, completely outside the realms of human hearing.

The success of this CD culminated in the sale of so many singles that ‘a silent song’ became New Zealand’s Christmas 2007 No.1 single.  And the resulting media interest both nationally and internationally led to global distribution deals in negotiation for Christmas 2008, with part of the proceeds for CDs sold in China, Taiwan, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and other countries coming back to SPCA New Zealand.