The Dog Marketing Blog

The New York Times featured an article about a trend toward more dog friendly hotels; which also notes that some of these are not really so friendly toward dogs over a certain size limit. This is similar to JetBlue which hypes its JetPaws program – limited to dogs that fit under the cabin seat, the regulations for which top out at 15 pounds.  The article talks about well known New York City hotels and their pet policies and also mentions several pet travel websites, PetsWelcome, PetFriendlyTravel, and DogFriendly.

Although it seems more upscale chains are starting to accept dogs, dog fees are also increasingly common, even at budget hotels like Red Roof Inn and Motel 6 which have been mostly dog-friendly for years.

My personal concern not only includes weight limits, but also numerical limits and per-pet fees which are not mentioned in the article.  As someone who owns and sometimes travels with multiple dogs, I’d like more friendliness toward the multi-dog traveller.

Photo by Drs. Foster and Smith

Can’t resist some shameless self promotion.  I recently got word that a dog I bred, Woodrow, will be in the fall Drs Foster & Smith dog supplies catalog. Woodrow’s owner, Doug Nartker, told me a dog trainer in the area had suggested Woodrow as a potential model.  Woodrow and the company are located in Northern Wisconsin, so location is everything!  Doug sent me the photos that will appear, showing his handsome tricolor Bull Terrier sporting an oatmeal colored dog sweater.

Ad Age shared a report from Martin Lindstrom regarding a clever dog food product placement in Venezuela.  Master Dog food was a sponsor of the reality show La Granja Vip –  a version of an international reality format known as The Farm. They wanted to integrate their brand with the show and decided to have a dog representing the brand’s signature breed, the Golden Retriever, appear as a contestant on the show.  The dog, named Master, became an extremely popular character on the show and in turn a highly sucessful promotion for the company. Martin says Master worked so well as a product placement by meeting all three goals for product placement:

1. Make sure the product is relevant and necessary to the plot

2. Make the brand the hero

3. Ensure the product image remains the same across all  touch  points

The dog, which appears on on the brand’s site and many of its product labels as well as in the show, satisfied the goals on all counts.

I got an email today from Packaged Facts announcing that one of their analysts, David Lummis, will be presenting at the Petfood Forum next week in Chicago.  His topics will include the increased involvement of celebrities in pet food marketing (Rachel Ray, Cesar Milan), the influence of online marketing, and the trend toward organic/natural pet foods.  The forum runs from April 20-22 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and covers a wide spectrum of topics including manufacturing, ingredient approval, marketing and the impact of petfood on behavior.  Sounds like a fascinating program!

Honda showed an even dog-friendlier version of its Element,  2007 DogCar of the Year winner at the New York Auto Show this week according to an Automotive News newscast.  Jalopnik’s coverage includes photos of the Honda Element Dog Friendly edition which features a dog bed, pet restraints, rear ventilation system, no-spill bowl and dog ramp.  This special edition is slated to launch in fall, 2009.

I went down to Knoxville with a couple of my siblings recently to visit my Mom. While we were there we visited the local Food City to do some shopping and my sister signed up for a shopper card to get a discount on her purchase. While checking out I noticed that there was an application for a Pet Club sitting by the checkout as well.  Turns out that Food City offers Baby, Kid, Wine and Pet clubs which allow the store to target offers at these specific shopper groups.  Their website gives few details, although it does promise a sweepstakes soon. I’ve got a frequent shopper card from PetSmart, but this is the only other time I’ve seen a shopper loyalty card aimed at pet owners. The application allows you to register up to three pets and indicate their gender and date of birth.  I notice there’s no place to indicate the pet’s species. Not sure if that’s an oversight or if they plan to infer species from the pet product purchases that show up on the ValuCard record for that customer, as they ask for the customer’s ValuCard number on the Pet Club application.

NPR’s  Fresh Air this week featured an interview with Michael Schaffer, author of One Nation Under Dog, a book about consumer dog culture seen through the eyes of a journalist and first time dog owner.  At this point I’ve listened to the interview and just started reading the book, but it chronicles the decision of Michael and his wife to get a dog, why they chose to rescue a dog and their selection process.  As life with their dog Murphy progresses, they become more and more aware of the vast array of products and services available to dog owners. Michael examines their choices, and explores the expanding world of pet products and marketing throughout the book, including a visit to the American Pet Products Association convention.   I expect I’ll find more Dog Marketing fodder as I get into the book – stay tuned.