Market Focus - Pet Owners : It's Raining Cat and Dog Lovers

February 2008 By W. Eric Martin & Linda Formichelli

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Manufacturers that have traditionally served only humans have launched pet products lines. Paul Mitchell, for example, has a line of shampoos and conditioners for pets, while the upscale body product company Origins boasts a high-end silky coat dog shampoo. The online meat delivery company Omaha Steaks sells steak treats. Harley-Davidson sells collars, bowls, caps and faux leather dog jackets, all bearing the Harley-Davidson logo. “Babies have monitoring systems, and people are doing that with their furry friends,” says Mott, thanks to devices that let you monitor your pet remotely. “Eye drops, the snore stop, massage beds, stair assistance—there are tons of human products being adapted for pets,” he describes.

Such developments result from increased discretionary income along with changes in pet owner perception as to what’s appropriate for their animal companions. Dog owners used to leave their animals outside with no protection, for example, whereas today’s standards require a dog house—perhaps even one that’s insulated—and that’s hardly the limit to what’s possible as is demonstrated by the climate-controlled pet carriers coming onto the market. “Would you buy a home or car that doesn’t have heat?” asks Robert Inello, president and CEO of Komfort Pets.

Admittedly many people would have laughed at this type of problem a few years ago, says Mott. “Some Web sites used to mock pet tech gadgets, but now they report on them.”

In the past six months, says Mott, “people have been gravitating towards home tests where they can test an animal’s breed or check for inherent diseases. If you know that your dog is part Husky, for example, then you can watch for ailments associated with that breed.”

Pet funerals, pet hospice and designated cemetery space next to the human owner are other developments in the trend toward humanizing pets. “Sometimes these announcements seem weird, but it usually doesn’t take more than a year or two before they become standard,” says Mott. “I think we’re quite early with the pet market and what people are demanding.”

Cleaning products are synergistic with pet-related items since fur and noseprints make their way into every part of a pet owner’s home. “One of the ASPCA’s corporate partners is Proctor & Gamble, and we did a cross-promotion with Swiffer, Bounce and Iams that targeted the pet audience,” Sullivan mentions.

Animal Attraction: Making the Sale
Blumenkrantz says she compiles lists in bits and pieces from cooperative catalog databases. “A lot of files don’t have a large array of pet products, but because they track things on a SKU level, you can know which people have bought, say, the collectible dog and cat plates,” she says. “We find that people who purchase a pet product are much more responsive than people who just own a pet, and if the product is something for the pet to use, such as a coat or collar, that’s better than just a product with a pet theme.”

Mott says e-mail is often the best way to reach pet owners. “We have short messages with a promotion or product news, and no images,” he says.

As for messaging, Evans suggests sticking to a positive approach. “Most [pet owners] are looking for information to solve problems,” she says. “‘My cat is acting weird; my dog has this itchiness.’ Even with the pet food recalls, which we’re talking about in our marketing material, we’re predominantly positive, talking about what to feed your dog or cat.”

Belvoir Media has conducted outer envelope testing with pictures ranging from cute puppies to older dogs with arthritis and has found mixed results. “We do something like a puppy, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t,” says Evans. “It has to do with where the pet owner is in the life cycle of the pet.”

To find points of commonality among pet owners that you can capitalize on in your messaging, you need to focus on the types of animals they own. “Dog owners tend to be house owners,” says Blumenkrantz. “They’re more likely to do things outdoors and have a fenced-in backyard so they can put up a dog runner.” Bird owners tend to have an interest in gardening; cat owners tend to be concentrated in urban areas since cats make better pets in apartments. Cat owners often are stereotyped as little old ladies, and Blumenkrantz says there’s some truth behind it. “People with cats tend to be into needlepoint and knitting. Not every cat owner does crafts, especially people in their 20s and 30s, but as they get older, you’ll find that to be the case.”

Pet owners are a large, diverse group willing to spend money on their “fur babies.” If you have a product or service that can help humans spoil their pets, and you use positive messaging to market it, you’ll find it raining cats, dogs—and sales.

Linda Formichelli and W. Eric Martin are freelance writers based in New Hampshire. Formichelli wrote about marketing to golfers in last month’s issue, and Martin tackled pURLs for the October 2007 issue.

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