Ad Council – People & Pets Tracking Study 2022-2023

Background: In 2022, the Ad Council partnered with the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and Maddie’s Fund to develop new creative for its Shelter Pet Adoption campaign. The aim was to sustain shelter pet adoption trends and promote fostering and rehoming among U.S. pet owners. The Ad Council sought research to gauge the campaign's success through a tracking study assessing awareness, attitudes, and behaviors among U.S. adults regarding:

• PSA Recognition
• Shifts in attitudes and behaviors related to pet ownership
• Likelihood of future actions (e.g., pet adoption, fostering)
• Awareness of resources for continued pet ownership

Having developed the survey, the Ad Council sought a partner to program, test, and administer it to the target audience and deliver the final data analysis.

Solution: In partnership with the Ad Council, ThinkNow led the effort to program, test, and administer the survey to a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, ensuring data quality and timely delivery of results. Using our proprietary online panel and trusted panel partners, we conducted two waves of surveys online. Each wave targeted n=600 pet owners, with 50% open to adopting an additional pet and 50% not meeting these requirements. Quotas for income, age, region, employment status, and education were established to ensure a nationally representative sample, reflecting the most recent U.S. Census.
The initial benchmark wave occurred in June and July, followed by subsequent waves throughout 2022. The schedule was adjusted as needed based on client feedback.

During this project, ThinkNow provided:

• Questionnaire consultation and review
• Questionnaire programming and testing
• Survey fielding
• Data processing, coding, and tabulation (with crosstabs)