#notanaccessory

Background

Due to the lockdown, many Belgians impulsively bought and are still buying a dog without properly thinking it through. As a result, many dogs are now being dumped in animal shelters.

Idea

To put a stop to this, GAIA (Global Action in the Interest of Animals) launches the #NotAnAccessory campaign together with the Belgian advertising agency FamousGrey and PR agency Famous Relations. To indicate that a dog is not for one season, Famous Relations activated leading Belgian fashion content creators to post a picture featuring their dog alongside today's fashion trends, accompanying the dog with a "not an accessory" tag. A clear message that dogs are not an impulse buy like clothes and accessories. The example of the content creators was adopted massively in a matter of days by dog lovers who helped to spread GAIA's message.

Results

Thanks to her call for action, posts and stories popped up all over Instagram with the tag @NotAnAccessory. This content links to the Not An Accessory Instagram page. "#NotAnAccessory" is now also showing up on TikTok. Het Nieuwsblad, 3/2/2021, Gaia and celebs want to prevent impulsive animal purchases with new campaign, https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210203_94164609 Flair,3/2/2021, #NotAnAccessory, the campaign that reminds us that an animal is not an accessory, https://www.flair.be/fr/lifestyle/notanaccessory-campagne-animal-gaia/ HLN, 3/2/2021, Celebs and influencers join campaign against impulse buying animals, https://www.hln.be/showbizz/bv-s-en-influencers-scharen-zich-achter-campagne-tegen-impulsaankopen-dieren~a3890849/ Het belang van Limburg, 3/2/2021, Gaia and celebs want to prevent impulsive animal purchases with new campaign, https://www.hbvl.be/cnt/dmf20210203_94164609 Gazet van Antwerpen, 3/2/2021, Gaia and celebs want to prevent impulsive animal purchases with new campaign, https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20210203_94164609