Abba has a wonderful song called "Take a Chance on Me" which I think would make a great pet adoption ad. So rather than heart-string-tugging, guilt-tripping ads trying to browbeat people into adopting a shelter/rescue animal, this would be a cute, hopeful, engaging spot featuring lots of cute, excited-looking dogs. And with a slight lyrical tweak, the song could be made specific for dogs or cats. Here's what I mean about the lyrics (some new, some original):
If you need a pet, I'm a quite good bet,
I'm a sweet puppy, take a chance on me, (For an ad for cats, change 'puppy' to 'kitty')
If you need me let me know, gonna be around,
If you've got no place to go, we can hang around.
If you're all alone, you can choose to take me home,
I'm completely free, take a chance on me,
I'll be the sweetest pet you could ever want,
I've just been to the vet, and I've had my shots.
Take a chance on me... (We see a cute puppy/dog lovingly looking at the camera)
Take a chance on me... (We see another cute puppy/dog sweetly looking at the camera)
(Ads are short, so we'd skip the verses.)
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line,
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me,
I'll do my very best and it ain't no lie,
If you put me to the test, if you let me try.
If you're all alone, you can come and take me home,
I'm completely free, take a chance on me,
I'll be the nicest pet that you'll ever spot,
I've just been to the vet, and I've had my shots.
Take a chance on me... (Another puppy/dog lovingly looking at the camera)
Take a chance on me... (And a different puppy/dog sweetly looking at the camera)
Ba ba bow wow wow, ba ba bow wow wow,
I'm completely free, take a chance on me.
(For cats: Ma ma meow meow meow, ma ma meow meow meow.)
(During the verses, we'd see people visiting and playing with the dogs, and then video of dogs running around in parks, catching Frisbees, chasing sticks, and at home excitedly and happily greeting people returning home {with a subjective camera of a front door opening to find the dog welcoming them home} and then the dog licking people's faces.)
Here's the original Abba song, "Take a Chance on Me" (Abba is so good they never go out of style, so their stuff will always work):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crgQGdpZR0
(Pet adoption agencies and the SPCA are mostly non-profit groups trying to save animals and find them loving homes, as well as provide people with loving pets, so I would think it's possible if not likely that a band would be willing to let them use their songs for free in ads if they asked nicely first and pointed out that it's not for profit, but rather, just to help save, care for and shelter animals, and to let people know where they can adopt these animals. It doesn't hurt to ask: the worse that can happen is for the band to say: "No", and then just think of something else. But you have to ask first: remember the Goldie Blox/Beastie Boys thing. But a non-profit ad is not the same thing as a for-profit ad: it's more like a PSA.)
