VIENNA–Global animal charity Humane Society International has been declared “Brand of the Year” at this year’s Animalis Edition of the prestigious World Branding Awards 2019, in recognition of its leading contribution to the protection of animals around the world. With programs in more than 50 countries, HSI challenges animal cruelty across the globe including Asia’s dog meat trade, trophy hunting in Africa, as well as factory farming, the fur trade, puppy farming and animal testing worldwide.
HSI was selected as the Animalis winner out of more than 800 nominated brands from 35 countries following a rigorous brand assessment including voting by 95,000 members of the public from around the world.
HSI’s UK director Claire Bass attended the ceremony held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna to receive the award on behalf of the global HSI family. Bass said: “HSI is immensely proud to win Brand of the Year at the prestigious World Branding Awards in acknowledgement of our global campaigns to protect animals from cruelty and suffering. For the Animalis category to stand alongside awards for some of the biggest brands, demonstrates that campaigning for a humane world is now a mainstream endeavour and that our advocacy for animals, through legislative and corporate reform, consumer education and direct animal rescue, is something that people across the globe are supporting.”
Active on nearly every continent, Humane Society International is one of the few global animal protection organisations working to protect all animals—including animals in laboratories, animals on farms, companion animals and wildlife. HSI campaigns to help the greatest possible number of animals and to save those who are suffering from the most severe abuse, investing our time, effort and resources in ways that will make a real difference. With hundreds of thousands of supporters, HSI is a voice for all animals through public education, undercover investigations, animal advocacy, and working to prevent cruelty and promote compassion.
The World Branding Awards is the premier awards programme of the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing branding standards for the good of the branding community as well as consumers. The Awards recognise and celebrate some of the best global, regional and national brands for their work and achievements. There are three tiers of awards. The Global Award is presented to truly international brands that have a presence in 10 or more countries, on three or more continents.
The Animalis Edition, which HSI has been awarded, focuses on pet and animal-related brands, and sees the world’s best brands, organisations and charities recognised for their work and achievements in conservation, education, protection and welfare of animals. Previous winners of the Animalis Edition include the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute and The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Richard Rowles, Chairman, World Branding Forum, said: “This is a celebration of the continuous efforts that is vital to building outstanding brands. These brands have established strong brand recall, top-of-mind awareness and trust among their consumers. The Animalis Edition of the Awards are an acknowledgement to the tireless effort of the teams that build and maintain their brand presence in an ever-changing market in the pet and animal industry.”
Julian Andersen, Managing Director, World Branding Forum, said: “The world is full of brands, but a truly exceptional brand has to ensure that people know what they stand for. Being a winner at the Awards is very competitive. Brands that do win show that they have set the standard for what is expected of other brands to be at the top of their game. To be a winner at the Awards, a brand has shown that they have built themselves up to such a degree that they are placed amongst the best brands in the world.”
ENDS
Media contacts:
- Humane Society International: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org
- World Branding Forum: Peter Michaels, michaels@brandingforum.org
Download images from the Awards here: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=BrandingAwards0719
About Humane Society International
Humane Society International and its partner organisations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations. For more than 20 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org. With a presence in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Latin America, Liberia, Mauritius, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam, HSI is continuing to expand its operations to help animals worldwide.
About the World Branding Forum
The World Branding Forum (WBF) is a global, non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing branding standards for the good of the branding community as well as consumers. This includes those who work in the branding, design, marketing, advertising, public relations and communications disciplines worldwide. The WBF produces, manages and supports a wide range of programmes covering research, development, education, recognition, networking and outreach. For more information, visit brandingforum.org.
About the World Branding Awards
The World Branding Awards is the premier awards of the World Branding Forum. The Awards recognises the achievements of the best brands in the world. Winners are selected based on brand valuation, market research, and online public voting. For more information, visit awards.brandingforum.org.
