Pets in Marketing 🐶🐱

//Pets in Marketing 🐶🐱

We are a nation of pet lovers, it is estimated by the PDSA that 50% of UK adults own a pet and 26% of the UK adult population have a dog, with an estimated population of 9.9 million pet dogs.

Studies have shown that animals don’t provoke negative feelings in people. “People have this innate perception that pets generate these warm, happy, fuzzy feelings.” Dua, T. (2016). Everything is pawsome: The rise of pet influencers online, Digiday, 18 March, Available Online:  https://digiday.com/marketing/everything-pawsome-rise-pet-influencers-online/

This is why animals, more particularly Dogs and Cats are great for marketing your business and for gaining social media visibility. One of the biggest examples of a pet being successfully used in an advertising campaign is the Andrex puppy, the Andrex puppy was first introduced in 1972 and since has been the staple of the brand. When you think of Andrex toilet roll what do you think of? You think of an adorable Labrador puppy trailing toilet paper down the stairs and around the house. One marketing goal should be creating something that is relatable and appealing, and what is more relatable and appealing than a dog? The Woof Agency found that using pets in commercials make the adverts feel less promotional, this affects purchasing decisions positively.

A study by American Express has shown the following findings :

  • Across the UK, independent retail owners who keep pets in their physical stores receive a total annual income boost of around 59.7m on average.
  • The draw of pets is so irresistible that over a third of British shoppers are more likely to visit a small store if it has a pet. Meanwhile, 30 percent claim that a shop that has a pet persuades them to linger around in store for an extra 13 minutes.
  • The research found that 32% of shoppers are more inclined to take time to talk to staff at shops that have pets, while the likelihood of shoppers mentioning a store on social media increases by 22% in the presence of a pet dog or cat.

There are many ways to include pets in marketing, whether its using them for photo purposes, having them permanently in the office when clients come in, or actually putting your businesses branding somewhere on the pet for people to see. For example their are many promotional products for pets, particularly dogs, available to promote your branding.

A few of our personal favourites are a branded Collar and Lead, this is a great way to promote your brand as the branding is so subtle yet people are bound to pay attention when you are out and about or if your clients are using it on their pets. Another great idea is a dog bandana, is there a better model for your brand than a dog?

Pets have shown to improve social media engagement rates, a study by Nichefire showed that engagement can rise up to 63% higher than an average business post when a pet is included. A study by NewsWhip also revealed that on average, a brand post with a pet included resulted in an increase in comments of approximately 89% and likes 19%.

Here is Marley enjoying a snooze in the office.

Whether you are a dog lover or a cat lover there are clear benefits to including each in your marketing campaign.

Benefits of dogs in Marketing :

  • 1m+ average views for ads with dogs.
  • 37% higher search volume for ‘dogs’ than ‘cats’.
  • 540%+ higher views for dog ads than average views on channels.

Benefits of cats in Marketing :

  • 4m+ average views for ads with cats.
  • 123m+ cat searches on Instagram.
  • 37% more Google searches for cat content.

So overall there is a clear, astounding, benefit to your pets being a part of your marketing. Whether its to boost engagement, gain likes or bring in a few more orders, Dogs and Cats certainly grab a wide audiences attention with their fun personalities, their adorable looks and their loyalty, if you add these attributes to a campaign it can bring positive results.

 

2022-05-12T11:32:32+01:00