Adelaide Hills Council | Cat-chy Campaign

In 2022 the Adelaide Hills Council introduced a new by-law regarding cat ownership, which required all cats to be kept on their owners property at all times, unless effectively restrained by a leash, or similar.

The new rules would deal with issues relating to free-roaming cats, such as public and environmental nuisance, and to facilitate the management of feral cat population, particularly with the Hills bird population.

The Council sought support for a community-facing awareness campaign to inform and educate cat owners of the new by-laws.

The brief was to be distinctive, illustrative, include a connection to life in the Adelaide Hills and be easily applied to a range of mediums from roadside signage, print ads, digital and printed collateral.

Our campaign incorporated a cheerful, playful cat named “Chipper”, who was accompanied by various illustrated graphics reflecting the Adelaide Hills setting, including native wildlife and autumn leaves.

The campaign assets included:

• Digital applications
• Bookmarks
• Poster and postcards
• An interactive stand for events
• Animation

communikate et al also developed a “cat-chy” campaign tagline “Home is where your cat lives” which features across all creative.

The campaign ran for six months leading up to the by-law coming into effect on January 1, 2022.

The strong and distinct imagery, together with clear campaign messaging, delivered via a range of touch-points, lead to strong awareness among the Adelaide Hills community.

There has been a noticeable increase in responsible cat ownership since the campaign and by-laws were introduced.