“I guess what everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved.” - Ella Fitzgerald
Why did “In the Arms of the Angel” resonate so deeply?
Even Sarah McLachlan, the original artist of the tear-jerker ballad, can’t listen without seeing tragic puppies flash across her mind. When the @ASPCA aired the famous commercial featuring McLachlan’s song “Angel” in 2007, they launched their most successful fundraising campaign to date—just the first two years of running the ad brought in $30,000,000.
What made those ads so successful?
The song itself plays a significant part. Its evocative lyrics and delicate composition are heavily emotionally charged on their own. But the real clincher is the sad animal images. The song plays over a montage of sad-looking puppies and kittens in cages or injured. Ugh - even thinking about it makes me emotional.
I've heard some people say the ads made them feel guilty - and that’s the nugget of gold in the campaign. Because, same. But why do we feel guilty? We didn’t put the puppies in those cages. We didn’t leave those kittens out in the cold.
No, we feel guilty because we recognize the deep desire for love and care that these animals exhibit, mirroring our own intrinsic need for connection and compassion. Seeing an image of an animal in need triggers an intrinsic sense of altruism that researchers are just beginning to understand.
An article called “Do children help dogs spontaneously?” published earlier this year, builds on existing knowledge of human empathy. Toddlers, famously, will go out of their way to help someone struggling, even strangers - and this study proves that human altruism extends to other animals too.
Domesticating and caring for animals was a main contributor to our evolutionary ability to survive and thrive. So when we see animals in dire need, something instinctive is triggered. We are hypersocial creatures with immense capacity for empathy - even images of animals create huge emotional responses.
When we’re marketing something important, something that can make a lasting impact, try using altruism as a motivator rather than greed.
The more your message resonates on an emotional level, the wider your impact spreads. Ready to tell a story that makes true, lasting emotional connections? Your first step is easy: connect with me.
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Creative Director & Consummate Copywriter
3moYup. That’s how it is. I call Rosy my Daughter, the Dog.