2026 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The first petition signed, promoted, and delivered by pets.

Despite what you'd think, Canada has some of the worst animal welfare laws in the developed world, earning a failing grade on the World Animal Protection Index. Legal protections are weak, loopholes are abundant, and many of the laws have gone without an update since 1892. In fact, animals are still classified as property rather than sentient, living creatures.

Mattie's Place, an award-winning pet rescue in Toronto, was determined to change things. Face-to-face with injured and abandoned animals daily, they knew the system needed a shake-up, and the ordinary avenues to cause change wouldn't be enough.

While exploring Canadian petition law, the agency found a loophole: nowhere does it say that you must be human to sign a petition, and in fact, there are no criteria that would exclude non-humans. Ultimately, all you need to sign a petition is a name, address, and unique signature. With this revelation, they realized that pets could be the perfect advocates for change.

Introducing the “Pet-ition” – the first petition signed by pets to advocate for all animals. By using paw prints as signatures, since they are unique like a fingerprint, pets across the country lent their "voices" to fight for improved animal rights.

The “Pet-ition” was launched in June 2024 with the help of several prominent dog influencers, turning pets into the key promoters of the campaign. The “Pet-ition” gathered pet signatures at various parks and events, including North America's largest dog festival, before partnering with dozens of pet-based businesses, like groomers and pet stores, to collect further signatures nationwide.

Awareness spread across social media, with thousands of pet-based accounts amplifying the campaign, encouraging people to attend in-person signing events and pressure their Members of Parliament.

The social and experiential elements of the campaign caught the attention of media outlets, but they didn't settle for mere awareness – they targeted politicians to cause real change. Several Federal politicians backed the cause, including supporters from three of Canada's major political parties.

With over 83 million impressions, the campaign sparked a nationwide conversation, leading to a significant uptick in public support and pressure on lawmakers. This concerted pressure culminated in Parliament taking notice.

At the end of World Animal Month, the Pet-ition was officially tabled in the House of Commons, where it received overwhelming support. The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Arif Virani, expressed the need to improve animal welfare laws and said, "Animal sentience is a matter of fact and science" that the law must address.

All thanks to animals taking matters into their own paws.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Vinicius Dalvi
Head of Art: Victor Yves
Creative Director: Sandra Baumander, Andre Bittar
Associate Creative Director: Peter Sreckovic, Devon Clarke
EVP, Managing Director: Serene Gaspar, Bobby Malhotra
Account Supervisor: Rachel Dickey
VP Broadcast Production: Pam Portsmouth
Producer: Haley Piett
Print Producer: Lisa Reid
Content Creator: Gabriel Bortolotto
Chief Strategic Officer: Mary Chambers
Group Strategy Director: Michael Ash
PR Lead: Sophie Prefol

Production (The Pub)
Director: Reid Marshall
DOP: Cameron Marshall
Photographer: Alex Chan
Executive Producer: Terry Theofilactidis
Post-Production Manager: Rebecca Burtnik, Madelyn Jones, Emily Skeffington,
Editor(s): Ingrid Theiner, Jordyn Stern, Issac Winter, Scott Edwards
Motion Graphics: Livia Apra, Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi

Web (Nurun)
Pamela Albino, Director of Growth Operations
David Han, Director of Experience Design
Quang Lai, Associate Technology Director
William Truong, Frontend Developer
Vincent Lee, Full Stack Developer
Maxime Masson, Spécialiste infrastructure & Cloud solution

Root (Publicis)
Matt Johnston, Associate Director, Analytics & Research
Anila John, Manager, Insights & SEO

MSL & North Strategic
Nadia Beale, President Account Services (MSL)
Madeline Pelly, Account Associate (MSL)
Alexis Scott, Account Director (North Strategic)
Shraddha Jaiswal, Account Executive (North Strategic)

Client: Mattie’s Place
Founder / Executive Director: Denise Angus