"Respect"

11 April 2024

2 mins

For every kind.

Now this is how you reboot a brand. The RSPCA have played it safe in recent times, but this two-minute commercial is animal crackers in the best way possible. Instead of an earnest voiceover or an anaemic cover of a pop song, we get Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' as sung by animals, though not all of them survive the opening bars.

A bee is chewed up by a lawnmower, a spider is flattened by a newspaper, and a wolf is shot to death in a video game. The 'survivors' (cows, chickens, cats, dogs, etc.) still live in cramped conditions or must fend for themselves on the streets. Enough is enough, say the charity—any, nay, EVERY animal deserves kindness.

The tide turns when a man clocks a snail under his boot in the nick of time, complete with commentary by an appreciative Chris Packham. This sets up a breathless, joyful montage of animals given a little respect at long last. More ads should end with a friendly snail in DAVID's opinion.

Director Raine Allen-Miller feels like a left-field choice for this project, but agency AMV were right to get behind her as she has created an outstanding film that's as much a manifesto as a commercial.

UK

Charities