The Dog Marketing Blog

MediaPost reports that Purina is launching an interactive screen saver application called the Unforgettable Tail to promote its Chef Michael’s brand of dog food. The food is described as both mass market and upscale, which I interpret as available in mass retailers at a high price point.  I did see Chef Michael’s in online and big box pet store e-store listings earlier this year when the agency selection was announced, prior to the brand showing up on Purina’s own site.   I also see it’s  now available at Wegmans grocery stores for $.79 for a 3 oz container.

The article says the application will be available by “month’s end” on the www.chef-michaels.com website; since it’s only the 24th of June as I write this entry, I could find no trace of it online other than a note on the Chef Michael’s site that something cool was coming “in May.”  Chef Michaels has purchased a sponsored link on Google for its name but I couldn’t get the link to work today (the site does exist.)   The application will evidently allow dog owners to link their online photos, such as anything uploaded via TwitPic, to  a personalized dynamic screen saver that, of course, promotes Chef Michael’s products. I’m very curious to see this when it’s up and running; I’ll check back on this story in July!

I recently encountered an online dog supplies company called Oh My Dog Supplies on Twitter.  Since following them, I’ve been impressed by their use of social media.  I checked out the website, which features an interesting collection of  premium quality dog products with a guarantee that you won’t find any of their items at a pet superstore.  They sent me a direct message on Twitter inviting me to their Facebook site, then from Facebook alerted me to gender-segregated Manly and Sexy dog photo contests which even offer prizes on top of your bragging rights!  Since I’m pretty set in my ways and dog purchase habits, I think they’ve done a good job getting me this engaged. Time will tell if I convert to a customer . . .

Jetta Rose and friend Mimi

A friend of mine who pet sits forwarded a copy of a dog tips newsletter from Nanny 911 for dogs,  which is distributed to over 2800 subscribers weekly. The author is Victoria Rose, a positively oriented dog trainer who currently lives in the Portland, OR area with her Doberman Pinscher, Jetta.

The  Nanny 911 e-newsletter includes dog care and training tips drawn from Victoria’s vast experience, often using personal anecdotes to make her point.  As a former journalist, Victoria still has the writing urge despite her transition to a dog training career and and leverages this passion to educate dog owners far beyond her own circle of clients.  Her motivation is to help people and their dogs live more fulfilling lives.  Although she occasionally  mentions products by name in the newsletter the publication does not accept advertising.

Victoria finds that occasionally subscribers will reach out to become clients, either in-person or for telephone consultation if they live farther away, but the newsletter is not her primary marketing tool.   She finds that Craigslist is actually the most effective means of marketing her business.  In a bit of a twist,  she has been successful getting people who posted dogs for sale on Craigslist to change their mind by  training the person and the dog to better understand and fulfill each others’ needs.

Petfood Industry News published an article about the increasing use of celebrities in dog food and product marketing.  Rachel Ray collaborated with Dad’s to create a  pet food  line called Nutrish, Cesar Milan has a relationship with Petco, Martha Stewart and Purina and Ellen Degeneres’ relationship with Halo foods are all detailed in the discussion.  For manufacturers using celebrity endorsers, there is always a risk/reward analysis to be made. A popular celebrity will raise awareness, but they must be seen as credible endorsers – not quite as much an issue with pets than say a car brand, and the manufacturer always runs the risk of celebrity controversies which can damage their brand as well.  In the case of celebrities launching products under their own label, a manufacturer can benefit through the additional production, but relies on the celebrity to do effective marketing to support  demand.

MediaPost reports that AOL has just launched a pet portal named PawNation.com.  This news comes just shortly after Yahoo! closed its Pets section, integrating that content into its Shine lifestyle section.  Purina, noted as the launch sponsor seems to be the only display advertiser at present, although text ads also appear in some sections. The photo gallery section offers pet owners opportunities to upload their photos for integration into the site.

A new follower on Twitter looked like a dog person, so I followed back and then she sent me a direct message (DM) which is not uncommon.  She invited me to contact her for dog training advice, again not that uncommon, especially since  you’d have to dig through my Linkedin profile that I reference on Twitter to realize that I already know a great deal about the topic.  But I was surprised to find the link she provided was to “Secrets of Dog Training” written by an entirely different person.  Affliate marketing, gotta love it!

MediaPost reports that Purina and Oddcast have developed an application called Beggin Time which allows people to place themselves and a pet in a dance video which can in turn be emailed or “go viral” as we marketing folks like to say. The article refers to it as a Facebook app, but I could only request to be its friend from the Facebook side, I found it on the Beggin Strips website.  You pick your own human and pet face and then they dance to the Beggin Time “Can’t Top This” song sung to the tune  of  “You Can’t Touch This.”  It is indeed fun and I couldn’t resist sending it via the Facebook and email options  to several friends.

The AKC announced today a promotion with Motel 6 which offers a 10% discount off stays at Motel 6 and Studio 6 motels. The official rules state that this is limited to one pet per room, which is the standard policy for Motel 6.  I think it is actually one “small” pet, which my friend Lisa and I joked about incessantly the time we stayed at a Motel 6 on the way back from our national specialty in St Louis with 3 Bull Terriers ranging in size from 50 to 70 pounds.  If they enforce the number of pets this isn’t going to be a great policy for people travelling to dog shows as they often take more than one, but it’s good to see a motel chain taking a pro-dog position by reducing rather than raising rates for people travelling with their dogs.

I received an e-direct from Cherrybrook recently promoting the IDTag.com. This is a tag which contains a website and phone number to contact IDTag.com, where the tag owner is supposed to have registered the tag’s unique number with identifying information about their pet. The first year of service is free, followed by a $6.95 annual fee.   When a pet is lost, the owner logs in to the IDtag website and notifications are sent via email to all local shelters, including photos and veterinary information about the pet.  This seems like an idea that is more appealing than practical, as it relies on pet owner compliance to make sure the pet is fully registered and that the alerts are sent out promptly via a web login or phone call (if the tag’s on the lost dog, will the owner have the info?)   I still think a collar or collar tag with the owner’s cell phone is a better bet, and I am a proponent of microchipping as well, but remember – microchips do need to be registered with the chip maker for the concept to work. (BTW I am NOT in favor of registering chips with government agencies, I don’t want Big Brother in my dogs’ business.)

Who should I meet today on Twitter AND Linkedin but Julie King, a fellow Detroit area westsider who also shares an interest in dogs and professional credentials in marketing.  She has launched the Gertie Gear line of dog products with a line of air-filled beds for dogs.  These beds appear to all be of the round or donut style, which allows the dog to curl up in the middle, although some of her live models are exercising their creative license and posing fully awake lying crosswise.  I like the idea, as it solves one of the problems I have with the dog bed that gets the most use in my home, which is that Anna likes to lie on it whilst slobbering on her ball, so it gets a nasty wet spot on one corner.  I can take off the cover and wash it, but underneath it gets stinky after awhile and washing the center is a pain.  The air bed filling won’t absorb moisture like fiberfill so you just wash the cover and you’re done.  So what’s Julie doing for marketing? She tweeted about the product when it got listed on Buy Michigan,  which caught my eye, she’s set up an Etsy store, and she’s got an eye catching website that includes her contact info and a link to the store.