Marketing Musings of a Dog Enthusiast
I recently got my first email from Petcentric with a link to their site, which launched in 2006. In a 2008 article in Promo Magazine the site is described as a social network, however most of the content is provided by the site’s owner, Purina and select partners, such as Yahoo! Answers (pet section.) There … Read more
Latest sighting in the humanization of dogs trend – my latest Dogs in Canada newsletter has arrived with an article about dog beers. The article profiles three dog-targeted brews, Kwispelbier from the Netherlands, Australia’s Dog Beer created by an enterprising pet retailer, and the US entry, Bowser Beer. Bowser Beer even has its own Facebook … Read more
As premium dog food brands which claim to use higher quality and more appealing ingredients grow in market share, some traditional market leaders are pushing back in court. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which produces Science Diet brand pet foods, has been aggressively pursuing manufacturers which it feels have used deceptive advertising for their products. Blue Buffalo … Read more
Pet Product News reports in its November print edition on the recently launched consumer campaign by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a non-profit devoted to the pet industry. PIJAC is reaching out to pet owners to help their efforts to combat legislation that attempts to restrict pet ownership. Individuals can join the Don’t Mess … Read more
MediaPost reports that Cesar Millan, also known as The Dog Whisperer from his National Geographic television series of that name, launched a magazine titled Cesar’s Way with the first issue published on September 15, 2009. Cesar’s Way will publish two issues in 2009 and go to a bi-monthly schedule in 2010. This provides further proof … Read more
Packaged Facts announced the publication of a new report analyzing the need for products targeted at senior pets, overweight pets and special needs pets in the US. The report notes that according to American Veterinary Medical Association and Association for Pet Obesity Prevention research, the proportion of American pets in these groups is higher than … Read more
Petfood Industry reports that Nutro has partnered with Meetup.com to sponsor 60 Meetup groups. The sponsored groups include a variety of existing dog Meetup groups across across North America, including specific breed groups, rescue groups and the Denver Yappy Hour all-dogs social group. Nutro is hosting a kick-off Meetup on September 16, in New York … Read more
Purina continues to leverage user generated content in its pet food marketing, this time for its venerable Alpo brand dog food. MediaPost describes the contest where dog owners are encouraged to enter the contest with photos and stories of their dogs being Real Dogs. I think they’re trying to promote a bit of backlash to … Read more
Pet Style News reports on pet clothing and encourages pet retailers to prepare for Halloween by stocking pet costumes. Some pet owners like to dress their pets all year around while others will purchase pet clothing only for Halloween. Shop owners interviewed for the article note that dressing pets is increasing in popularity and that … Read more
I recently came across an article discussing Pethead grooming products in Pet Product News International magazine. Pethead is licensed to Skaffles LLC by Bedhead, which is an edgy brand of human hair products which features packaging with unusual shapes, colors and fonts. This is the first time I’ve seen any human hair care or personal … Read more