Pet ownership is soaring: Two-thirds of households now have pets, including 90 million cats and 77 million dogs. The rise in pets reflects demographic and social trends—and presents opportunities for marketers:
- With an aging population, delayed marriage, and more people living alone, the number of households without children is growing. Sixty-five percent of pet owners do not have children living in the home, and they increasingly treat their pets as surrogate children.
- Animals bring out the nurturing side in everyone—men, women and children. Pets symbolize innocence and trust in a time when we are increasingly wary about the motives of other people.
- Pets are stress-busters. They calm us down and cheer us up.
Our pets—dogs, in particular—have also become part of our social lives:
- We connect with other pet owners at dog parks, Websites such as meetup.com, and organizations such as Leashes and Lovers that have events for dogs and people (including cocktail hours, pool parties, and hikes).
- Pets are social magnets (and 42% of dog owners admit that they have taken their dogs out to meet the opposite sex).
- We take our pets on vacations, fueling the rise of pet-friendly hotels, resorts, camps, and vacation tours.
- We celebrate our pets’ birthdays with parties and gifts.
- About one in three dog owners take their pets to work.
We want the best for our pets and are eager to pamper them. Annual spending on pets doubled in the past 10 years to $37 billion, spurring the growth of products and services that would have been inconceivable even 20 years ago. Today nearly anything a parent would consider for a child represents a pet marketing opportunity:
- gourmet or organic food/treats
- toys and entertainment (like DogCatRadio.com)
- designer accessories and furnishings
- daycare centers and social clubs
- spas and deluxe grooming products
- pet sitters (who include services like watching TV with your dog)
- portraits (both photography and painting)
- party planners
- holiday gifts and accessories
- health insurance, prescription drugs, therapists
- religious services, blessings, “bark mitzvahs“
- funerals, cemeteries, bereavement cards
With 100% markups common on most nonfood products, a variety of brand name marketers have entered the pet arena in recent years, including Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Lands’ End, Ikea, Paul Mitchell, Harley-Davidson, Hallmark, Omaha Steaks, Newman’s Own Organics, and hotel chains including the W, Sheraton, and Westin. It’s an opportunity to generate incremental revenue while encouraging consumers to create an emotional bond with the brand.
Other marketers are finding that pets can provide a powerful promotional tool, including
- events—for instance, The Clinton Street Theater in Portland, OR has Bring Your Dog to the Movies days.
- fundraisers for animal charities–Loews Miami Beach held a HOWL-I-DAY brunch for pets and their owners with proceeds going to the local Humane Society.
- promotions. At Bloomingdale’s, children and pets were welcome to have their picture taken with Santa.
- advertising. Based on a multiple regression analysis of 454 Super Bowl commercials, Chuck Tomkovick of the University of Wisconsin developed a “likability” model: Animals trump celebrities more than two to one.
Whether you enter the pet arena directly with new products and services or indirectly with your promotional programs, tapping into our love affair with our pets can be a winning formula.
Richard Leonard is vice president of The Zandl Group, a New York-based firm specializing in consumer insights, trends, and marketing perspectives.
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