What marketers can learn from the viral 'hellion' dog adoption site

When Christine Clauder launched an unusual website in early July to beg dog lovers to adopt her “hellion” foster dog Hank, it wasn’t simply a shot in the dark. The former social media manager and marketing director harnessed her professional skills to seize the internet with her anti-Sarah McLachlan energy and the site went viral. PleaseAdoptHank.com, emblazoned with the petition “please adopt this hellion” accompanied by the photo above, is a varietal feast of humor. Some of the adoption site’s jokes are dog-related (“I chopped his balls off because nobody needs to be subjected to any of his hellspawn”), some political (“He has so much energy, Governor Abbott called us to see if he could plug the Texas power grid into him”) and a great majority of it is simply the musings of an exhausted woman (“We’re all tired of Hank. Not because we don’t love him, we’re just TIRED. It’s like he drank ALL OF OUR COFFEE.”) The website is honest about its exaggerations in small disclaimers occasionally interspersed among the humor, but it largely sticks to its schtick. The homepage chronicles Hank’s origin story, which involves launching himself unexpectedly into the back of Clauder’s car a few months ago outside a Red Bull factory–responsible for his relentless hyperactivity. Truth-seekers can find in the FAQ that it wasn’t a Red Bull factory, but rather a Houston industrial district. One can sense Clauder’s exasperation with clarifications like this, preferring the fun of Hank’s mythology. What seems to have captured headlines at major outlets is Clauder’s use of strong language. “‘Hellion’ Foster Dog Gets Hilarious Adoption Site Filled With F-Bombs” reads a feature on Huffpost. People Magazine’s coverage declares, “Houston Woman Creates Comical, Expletive-Filled Adoption Page for Her 'Hellion' Foster Dog Hank” and the New York Post writes, “Foul-mouthed foster mom seeks home for Hank the ‘hellion’ rescue dog.” Clauder’s use of language on the site is intentional. The website’s rhetoric is tailored to the dog’s tireless energy, weeding out potential adopters without the spirit to handle Hank. Plus, Clauder tells Ad Age she has “the mouth of a sailor” anyway. “Several foster dogs have gotten adopted using similar methods,” says Clauder. “Prancer the Demonic Chihuahua is one that comes almost immediately to mind. And their description was less…” Clauder pauses to gather her thoughts. “They dropped less bombs than I did.” This is the best thing I’ve read in awhile. pic.twitter.com/rdn3X6GeWH— Hot Little Mongoose (@HLMongoose) April 9, 2021 Clauder had originally considered following in Prancer’s pawprints by creating a similarly worded Facebook post, but her marketer’s instinct thought better of it. “It's hard to track the metrics and the ROI for a simple Facebook post,” Clauder says. “So I decided to just go out and utilize the skills that I had to create a website for him.” She also points out that while people are plagued by negativity, they’re ready to embrace positive and playful news–“some cuteness to distract themselves.” Since going viral, Clauder has leveraged any opportunity to get the dog into a loving home, even sticking large magnets on the sides and bumper of her car that have attracted a lot of attention when she’s on the road. “I've had people stop me in traffic,” Clauder says. “One passenger was holding her phone up at me at a red light and she was like, ‘This website is so good! I wish we could adopt him!’ And we're like shouting at each other in traffic. And I'm like, ‘Thanks! Just spread the link!’” Hank loves car rides himself and Clauder isn’t shy about taking him around Houston with his head hanging out over the magnets. The duo are frequently stopped for selfies, even in the Starbucks Drive-Thru, and Clauder is always happy to oblige–it’s all publicity. The shelter handling Hank’s adoption last reported over 50 new applications, but the “very offensive dog” still remains with Clauder. An updates section of the site chronicles a few failed meet-and-greets with the pup, but the latest development, on August 17, declares “no potential adopters in site [sic].” A sneaky little message at the bottom of each page reads, “Site by Christine Clauder, currently unemployed and job-searching. Hint hint,” with a link to her resume. The marketer tells Ad Age that since publishing the site, “I did have a lot of companies reach out, but unfortunately, they were not Houston-based. I have a couple of offers on the table that I'm kind of tossing back and forth.” In addition to seeking permanent work, Clauder’s website has aided her in landing freelance gigs in website creation. She’s currently working on two sites for authors that will be launched soon. “Neither one of them are animal related, they just greatly enjoyed the transparency and, I guess, the ease at which they were able to navigate [Hank’s] site.” Clauder says the key to her success is having a unique voice and not being afraid to use it. “Trust your instinct and never read the comments.”

What marketers can learn from the viral 'hellion' dog adoption site

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