Video: 5 Things I Hate About the Pet Industry!
Posted In: Marketing, Pet Marketing, Pet Products by admin1. The Peddler Mentality
2. It’s all Push, No Pull
3. The Ridiculous Category Stats
4. Marketing is an Afterthought
5. Anyone Can Get In
There is hope!
Get a Bulldog.
Call 718-218-4PET (4738) to schedule a FREE 1/2 hour consultation!
Pet Marketing Expert, John Cullen, Expands Consulting Practice
Posted In: Branding, Marketing, Pet Marketing, Uncategorized by adminBulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc. Becomes Premier Pet Marketing Agency
Bronx, NY – (March 12, 2011) Bulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc. (www.bulldogms.com) announced today the expansion of its agency’s bandwidth. Bulldog is the Pet Marketing Consulting and Sales agency formed by pet industry veteran John Cullen to give entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small to mid-sized organizations access to top level markeg talent without the expensive overhead. The agency was run by Cullen part-time while employed at JW Pet as VP of Marketing.
“John Cullen has successfully led our transition to a brand driven organization,” says Jon Willinger President of JW Pet Company Inc. “Cullen’s marketing experience and pet background make him a driving force in our industry. He will continue to build JW’s brand momentum on a consulting basis.”
Cullen began his pet marketing career at HJ Heinz on the Pounce brand of cat treats. He has also held marketing positions with Chock Full O’ Nuts Coffee, Saputo Cheese and Liberty Media. His marketing & sales agency offers services such as go-to-market strategy, brand name and logo development, advertising, promotions and PR, marketing research, SEO, PPC and Social Media as well as sales rep network and channel development. Client case studies can be viewed at www.bulldogms.com/case-studies.
“JW is a great case study on how marketing can drive sales and transform a company,” says Cullen. “I’m looking forward to helping other companies get to the next level of sales by increasing their consumer awareness.” To learn how Bulldog can help your company grow call 718-218-4PET (4738) or visit www.bulldogms.com.
About Bulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc.
Bulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc. is a full service agency formed in 2009. It has over 15 years of marketing and sales experience ranging from marketing strategy to new product development and retail sell-in. It has increased sales and developed new products for the Fortune 500 as well as for start-ups. Marketing & sales expertise includes: Pet Products, Consumer Packaged Goods and Consumer Electronics. Bulldog is headquartered in the New York City. For more information, visit www.bulldogms.com.
About JW Pet Company Inc.
Established in 1998 in Teterboro, NJ, JW Pet Company is internationally recognized for excellence in pet product innovation. The company produces a variety of unique pet products across several categories including: dog toys, cat toys, grooming, bird toys and accessories, feeding, small animal habitats and others. JW Pet Company is also the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including “Best in Show” awards at both Global Pet Expo in 2010 and 2011 and SuperZoo in 2010. The company presently holds more than 125 product patents designed to improve the lives of pets and pet parents with the goal of creating “Intelligent Ideas. Happy Pets.” To learn more about JW Pet Company, visit www.jwpet.com.
Future of Pet Marketing: Infomercials
Posted In: Uncategorized by adminYou may be thinking, “He has finally lost it, infomercials? Really?”. The answer is “yes”. Let me explain.
According to Global Industry Analysts, Inc. the US Market for infomercial products is projected to grow to $252 billion by 2015. For those of you paying attention that is a whopping 5 X the entire pet industry! The word infomercial conjures up visions of cheap, garbage products hawked by loud mouth spokes people. Now this still exists, but so do more sophisticated infomercials by well respected brands like Bose. See the Bose example in the video below.
What is driving the growth of infomercials? Primarily the lackluster economy. GIA, Inc. lists the following…
1) More people are staying home increasing the need for entertainment products.
2) Consumers are preparing their meals at home increasing the need for food processing, knives, etc.
3) The convenience of being able to shop from home – hassle free.
What does this mean to you as a Pet Product manufacturer? Well, a lot.
If your product is really problem/solution and easy and fun to demonstrate infomercials may be for you. Infomercials put the power back in your hands and the hands of the consumer and away from the retailer. You build the demand with the consumer via :60 spots on TV along with an 1-800 number and direct response style website to take orders. The beauty? Retailers will come to you after consumers start coming into their stores looking for your product. It’s a great model. It brings things back to the way they should be. The manufacturer has the power. The retailer simply becomes a means of distributing a product.
It is getting harder and harder to get distribution in the pet industry. Even if you are lucky enough to get a pet chain to take a shot on your product, what happens next? How will you promote it? Most people don’t know how or have the funding to do so.
Now, let’s get real. Infomercials aren’t cheap. The costs to go in this direction are about…
1) TV Production $15 – $25,000
2) Media test $10 – $15,000 for 1 week
3) Fulfillment and Call Center Set up and ongoing order taking $3 – $6k/month
So your upfront expenses are going to be somewhere between $30 – $50k. Sound like a lot? It is. But what is the cost of spinning your wheels and getting nowhere?
BUT… if you are successful and do all of your homework up front you can be profitable and drive brand awareness at the same time.
Oh, and just about every retailer today has an “As Seen on TV” section – including both Petsmart & Petco. It’s a great way to side step the whole process and let the consumer decide.
Components of a Successful Pet Product : Infographic
Posted In: Uncategorized by adminHere are what I believe to be the most important components of a successful pet product…
Product (25%) – This is the actual product itself. It needs to be great. It needs to be better than great! It needs to be the BEST product in its category to break through. The product component is very important but still only 25% of the overall success.
Brand Name (15%) – Your brand name is extremely important and it should be benefit driven. In other words, the name should describe what the product does or its main benefit. If you have an unlimited marketing budget you can name it something abstract and create the meaning behind it. Also, keep it simple – 1 to 2 syllables and easy to spell.
# of SKUs (10%) – You need between 12 – 18 SKUs to create a real line in the mind of a retail buyer. Use sizes, flavors, shapes, scents, colors, etc. to get there. One SKU products are great for infomercials but not for retail. You need a brand block on shelf to be successful.
Rep (15%) – The ability of your rep to get an appointment with key retail buyers is very important to your success. If your current rep can’t get you the appointment, get a new one. Also, make sure you go with your rep on the first few calls to key accounts so you get the feedback first hand.
Packaging (20%) – You may be surprised that I give packaging a 20% contribution to your success – don’t be. Yes it is almost as important as the greatness of your product. If your packaging sucks so will your sales. Create a great package. Don’t settle for second best or sloppy packaging. Get a professional to design it. A lot of professional designers do freelance work for as little as $40/hour. Go out and find one.
Marketing (20%) – How good is your marketing plan? Will it drive trade and consumer awareness enough to get noticed and get people to buy? It better or you will be out of business in 6 months. Marketing & PR are just as important as ever. In the world of YouTube, Facebook & Twitter it is never been easier or less expensive to reach your target audience where they gather.
Well, there you have it – the Anatomy of a Successful Pet Product. How does your product stack up?
Need help? We offer a 30 minute FREE consult. Just contact us to set an appointment.
10 Pet Marketing Commandments
Posted In: Pet Marketing by adminClearly I am no Moses and my inspiration is far from divine. However, I do know a thing or two about how to be successful in the pet industry. So here are my 10 Pet Marketing commandments, violate them at your own risk. Follow them and you may find success & riches in the pet industry.
10 Pet Marketing Commandments
1. Thou shalt have more than 1 pet product SKU.
You need to build a brand block on the shelf. One SKU products have so many disadvantages – from a buyer not wanting to do the paperwork to being hard to find at retail. Use sizes, colors, scents, etc. to create a minimum of 10 – 12 SKUs which will constitute a product “line”.
2. Thou shalt have great packaging.
Many start-ups try to enter the pet industry with poor brand names, logos and packaging. Your product may be excellent so give it a real chance in the market with great packaging. You can get professional looking packaging much cheaper than you may expect.
3. Know thy pet category.
Before you enter the pet industry know the pet category you are entering. If it is a hotspot lotion you need to know the market potential – how many dogs suffer from hotspots? How many consumers purchase hotspot creams & lotion at retail vs. from their vet. How much does the average hotspot solution cost? How many hotspot solutions are available at Petco & Petsmart? How competitive is the category? This will give you a better idea of what the real opportunity is.
4. Thou shalt get the right pet rep.
Having the right rep is the difference between sitting in front of a legitimate buyer at Petco or Petsmart and endlessly cold calling a buyer and sending samples. Most work on commission only so the risk to you is minimal. Get the right rep and get a real appointment. Stop cold calling and wasting your product on samples.
5. Know thy competition.
Know your competition’s products, pricing and key accounts. Can you match or beat their pricing? What are their strengths, what are their weaknesses? How many competitors are there in your category? Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. What are they talking about? Is there packaging & marketing better than yours?
6. Thou shalt have a pet marketing budget.
You MUST have a marketing budget to promote your pet product. The typical rule of thumb is 10-15% of gross revenue for marketing. If you are spending less you are at risk. Keep in mind the difference between success and failure is awareness – among the trade and consumers of your product. If you are not generating awareness you aren’t generating sales.
7. Thou shalt go to Global Pet Expo.
If you are series about being in the pet business you need to join APPA and attend Global Pet Expo. It is the only trade show that really matters. Once you grow you can spend the money and attend Superzoo and Backer.
8. Know thy pet customer (retailer).
What are the account’s margin requirements? What are their price points of your competition? Does your product fall into a focus area for them? How many stores do they have? What would an opening order look like? How do they define success for your product category?
9. Thou shalt advertise your pet product.
This is related to #6. You need a budget to spend on advertising. First advertise to the trade in Pet Product News, Pet Business and Pet Age. As you build enough distribution to be found in chains and independent pet stores you can begin advertising to consumers – Dog Fancy & Cesar’s Way are good starting points.
10. Thou shalt conduct pet marketing research.
Test everything — your name, product concept, advertising, etc. It’s never been easier or cheaper with products like Survey Monkey. Post the questionnaire on your Facebook Page and create Twitter updates about it. Ask for honest opinions and you will get the answers you need. If you really want to do research the same way Procter & Gamble does it will cost you, but not that much with Zoomerang.
I hope you find the commandments helpful. I wish you the best of luck in your pet business.
Need help? Bulldog offers a FREE 30 minute Pet Marketing consultation. Contact us to set an appointment.
Want to learn more? Visit the Pet Marketing blog.
