Marketing Musings of a Dog Enthusiast
I tested my dog Iris using the Wisdom 4.0 DNA test, which is marketed to people who are curious about what breeds make up their dog’s heritage. I was not surprised to find out that she was 100% Bull Terrier, and I was pleased that she wasn’t carrying genes for either of the two genetic … Read more
There is an interesting subset of dog food customization and delivery that I’m seeing more references to lately. If you search for “Custom Dog Food”, Google returns over 43 million results. I have a problem calling it customized dog food, because as far as I can tell, each brand presents a limited number of options, … Read more
My husband and I are fans of Shark Tank, and we happened to watch a vintage episode from November 2016 where Pupbox was pitched, The company was offering a subscription box to puppy owners which followed the puppies with age-appropriate offerings through adulthood, when they switched to an adult dog version of the box. The segment … Read more
Products including hemp for dogs as well as humans are being introduced and promoted at a breakneck pace. The editor of Petfood Industry weighed in on this topic in the July 2018 issue. One of the most interesting things about this trend from a marketing standpoint is the legal standing not only of these products … Read more
Pet Product News reported on a co-marketing promotion between two of food giant Nestle’s divisions, Jenny Craig weight loss and Purina pet foods work together to promote weight loss for both pet owners and their pets. Project Pet Slim down is marketed through veterinarians as a New Years resolution for the pet and is not … Read more
Overweight pets are snacking too much and not getting enough exercise.
PetsMart and GNC recently announced a partnership to create a line of pet supplements available exclusively through PetsMart retailers and website. The supplement line launches in fall, 2010 according to an article on financial news site CDTV. This is interesting development marks the convergence of several trends. Vitamin and supplement usage is increasing for humans, … Read more
A veterinary study reported on dogchannel.com found that dog foods labelled low-calorie had inconsistent labeling and feeding recommendations. Content analysis showed that the food in the container did not always match package claims. Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University did an analysis of 44 different dog foods with labels indicating they would support … Read more
The July issue of Petfood Industry magazine includes an article titled “Business is Barking” which summarizes Packaged Facts presentation from the 2009 Pet Food Forum. Although I have to call Packaged Facts out on their creative cropping of the Y axis on a few charts for dramatic effect, the overall message is positive for the … Read more
Packaged Facts recently released the 3rd edition of its Pet Care Services in the US report. I haven’t seen any online summaries of the report yet, but I could glean a few insights from the table of contents available online. Total expenditures on pet care services in 2008 reached $23 Billion, hitting a 10 year … Read more