Is pet marketing dead? Do pet products sell themselves? What are the 5 tips for selling more pet products?

John Cullen of Bulldog Marketing & Sales will answer these questions and more in our interactive podcast interview.

Some of the things John will discuss include:

• What are your top 4 tips for getting a new pet business off the ground?
• How has the economy been affecting pet product sales? Strong areas? Weak?
• How do you get your product into the bog box stores? What’s involved?
• What are the best types of online advertising tactics you recommend and why?
• What are the best and most cost-effective OFF-LINE ad tactics you recommend and why?

Listen to the recorded Podcast here…

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Hi Everyone, here is the latest video in my Pet Marketing & Sales Video Lesson Series.

This Pet marketing video reveals 5 insider secrets as to how the pet business really works.

The video answers the questions…

- Do pet products sell themselves?

- What does it take to get my product into a pet distributor or pet chain?

- Can I be successful with a one SKU pet product line?

- Does a great pet product need marketing?

- Are pet products really price inelastic?

In the video, I’ll  walk you through the 5 secrets step by step and offers insights as to how you can answer the questions above for your own business leading to greater success.

Enjoy the video? Would you like to learn more about Bulldog Marketing & Sales and what we can do for your business? Visit us at http://www.bulldogms.com or call us at 718-218-4Pet.

We offer a free consult. To schedule YOUR free consult visit http://www.bulldogms.com/contact

Want more FREE pet marketing advice, tips & tricks? Visit the Pet Marketing Blog http://www.bulldogms.com/blog-page

I hope you will share your feedback and comments here and on the YouTube video page.

See you online soon.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Cullen
Bulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc.
Phone: 718-218-4PET (4738)
john.cullen@bulldogms.com

Snoutstik™ Dog Balm Launched to Rid the World of Dry Dog Noses
New Pet Product makes it Easy to Apply Moisturizer to Dogs’ Snouts

San Francisco, CA — (September 6, 2011)–Opie&Dixie®, LLC, a leading pet product company, today announced the nationwide launch and availability of Snoutstik™ Dry Dog Nose Balm for Dogs.

Estimates suggest that over 35 percent of dogs suffer from dry noses. Some breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers are genetically prone to having dry noses. Any breed can suffer from dry dog nose from time to time and sometimes it may be an indicator of illness or dehydration.

The Snoutstik “stick-style” packaging form factor is modeled after the human ChapStick® dispenser making it easy to apply the balm to dry dog noses. “Our consumers wanted an easy, no mess way to give their dogs the healing power of balm,” said Debbie Guardian, President of Opie & Dixie, LLC. “Snoutstik’s so easy to use that it will help consumers apply healing moisture to their dog’s dry and cracked noses more often.”

Snoutstik’s ingredients include Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Jojoba Seed Oil, all of which offer natural sun protection. Snoutstik is unique because it offers three healing varieties – Rosemary, Lavender and Pumpkin. Rosemary is a natural disinfectant; it soothes and reduces inflammation and treats bacterial and fungal infections. Lavender has a clean, fresh scent and calming, balancing properties; it provides extremely gentle skincare and can be applied to irritated, itchy spots as a healing aid. Pumpkin is used to treat burns and wounds; it is used for environmentally damaged and sensitive skin. It’s High in Vitamin A, which restores healthy skin tissue, and C, which has antioxidant properties that protect skin from free radicals such as the damaging effects of the sun.

“We wanted to create a REAL solution to a REAL problem,” said Guardian. “Snoutstik’s core ingredients can be a very effective and convenient treatment for dry, cracked noses. Snoutstik is made in the US from 100% natural, domestic ingredients. It is also vegan friendly.”

Snoutstik’s MSRP is $3.99 per unit, making it the perfect impulse item. Snoutstik is sold in a variety counter display pack of 12 units. It is shipping now. Opie & Dixie is aggressively expanding distribution of Snoutstik by adding sales reps and distributors throughout the US and Western Europe. Rep and distributor inquiries are welcome.

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About Opie & Dixie, LLC
Opie & Dixie, LLC was founded by Debbie Guardian who had one mission in mind – to make wholesome pet products. Since 2008, Opie & Dixie, LLC has been offering healing paw balm, natural and organic shampoos and nutritional supplements. Guardian’s inspiration for product development are her two dogs, Opal (Opie) and Dixie. Her promise is “nothing but the best” for Opie and Dixie, and she believes her products fulfill that promise for consumers who want the same high quality products for their dogs. For more information call 415-652-7989 or visit www.opieanddixie.com.

ChapStick® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.

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Hi All -

After the overwhelming success of my whitepaper, ‘Confessions of a Pet Product Marketer’ and the recorded pet marketing webinar of the same name, I have decided to create a video series called Pet Marketing and Sales Lessons. These will be short, to the point, video lessons about how to create a successful brand and marketing campaign in the pet industry. I hope to get this up and running within the next week and publish a new video about once a week over the course of a few months. I have a new baby on the way in November so I want to get as much published before then as possible.

Feel free to suggest pet marketing topics so I can keep it relevant to your needs. Keep a look out for lesson # 1 : Creating a Pet Product Brand Name. It’s coming soon to the Bulldog YouTube Channel and right here on the Bulldog website.

See you online soon.

John
Bulldog

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You’ve Read the whitepaper now watch the recorded Webinar! John Cullen, pet industry veteran and principal of Bulldog Marketing & Sales, Inc. walks you through his top downloaded whitepaper, ‘Confessions of a Pet Product Marketer’. Learn from a Pet Product Marketing & Sales Veteran TODAY and start selling more pet products TOMORROW! It’s FREE, FUN and INFORMATIVE!

Watch Confessions of a Pet Product Marketer Now!

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I decided to write a series of articles on what it takes to get into the pet business. Why? I find that most of my clients, by the time we meet, have made so many mistakes that it is almost too costly and difficult to recover. If you can get some things right from the beginning, it will save you time and money. What’s in it for me? Hopefully you will have more money to build your business with Bulldog Marketing & Sales by generating awareness via advertising, SEO, SEM, PR, Promotions, Social Media, etc. rather than fixing your mistakes! Yes, pet is projected to be a $51 BILLION business this year. People tend to get really excited about that number, but before you jump in with both feet you need to do your homework.  Most businesses start with a passion, which is great.  I certainly don’t want you not to be passionate, but don’t be blindly passionate – know what you are getting yourself into.

Let’s begin…

The American Pet Products Association tells us that the pet products business is estimated to be $51 Billion in retail sales in 2011. But before you go running off and created the next dog food, let’s look at how that number breaks down.

Food, $19.53 billion, 38%

So this is a pretty big market.  But be careful, it is extremely competitive and very difficult to break into.  Food is one of the most loyal products a pet owners buys for their dog.  It is VERY difficult to switch someone from one food to another.  Usually the vet or breeder makes a recommendation and that is what the dog eats for the rest of its life.  The business is dominated by a few major players (Nestle/Purina, Hills, etc. and several smart and nible players like Wellness and Blue Buffalo – what I feed my dog).

Supplies/OTC Medicine, $11.4 billion, 22%

Another big number, but considering this includes Flea & Tick products like Frontline
and Advantagemade Bayer Healthcare.  APPA doesn’t break the number down further, but it also includes toys, beds, collars and leashes, etc.  These are also fairly big markets and highly competitive.  Some more than others.  So enter with caution.

Vet Care, $14.11 billion, 28%

Unless you are a Vet, you can just lop $14 billion off of the $51 billion.  This number includes the money you shell out each time you bring your pet to the vet.  You could stop right here, get a medical degree and become a vet, but if that isn’t in the cards, read on.

Live animal purchases, $2.15 billion, 4%

I wouldn’t go into the live animal business.  It’s difficult and controversial.  So unless you are opening a store that sells puppies, I would stay way.  Even if you are opening a store, you might want to consider not offering live animals.  You don’t want to perpetuate puppy mills, etc.

Pet Services: grooming & boarding, $3.65 billion, 7%

It is believed that shampoos are included here as well as when you take your dog in to your local groomer.  In my opinion, shampoo is the next most competitive item from dog food, so enter with caution.

Ok, so there is a broad look at the pet business by the numbers.  What category do you want to get into and why?  In my next article, we’ll cover how to decide what do do once you decide what category you want to get into and reveal which categories have the easiest path to entry.

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Congratulations! You just got your product into a pet products distributor! Let’s go over what you need to know.

The Good
The good news is that the distributor serves many purposes for your business. One of the key things is assuming the credit risk. I remember back in my days of selling directly to pet stores and calling a deadbeat 50 times to collect $50. In today’s economic climate, most distributors only deal with credit worthy customers, but even those skip payments and can be difficult to collect from. The other good news is that you only have to ship to 1 warehouse instead of shipping onesie, twosie orders. The other thing that is nice is the opening “pipeline” order to support their customer base.

The Bad
The first Bad has to be the margin requirements. Most pet distributors require a margin of around 30%. This is unheard of outside of the pet business. In Consumer Electronics for instance, the margin for a distributor are about 15%! Not sure why this is, but it is. So the simple math goes like this…
Your price * 1.3 (30% margin) = Distributor Selling Price * 2 = Retail price to Consumer
Here is an example…
$1.5 * 1.3 = $1.95 * 2 = $3.90. See how quick your wholesale price more than doubles by the time it reaches consumers? Sometimes this can be a showstopper. This is also why most companies have 2 price lists – one for distributors and ones for “Dealer Direct”. The distributor gets the lower price so your ultimate retail isn’t through the roof!
The second bad is the distributor’s “sales force”. I put sales force in quotes because they are usually pretty weak order takers at best – not a sales force. To their credit, they are dealing with thousands of products across many categories. They focus on what sells and what is top of mind to make their bonuses. What chance does your product have of being pushed to their customers?

The Ugly
Getting into a distributor is only half the battle. The reality is that you as the manufacturer are responsible for helping the distributor sell your product. You need to get involved in their SPIF (Sales Promotional Incentive Fund) offers – basically a bounty for selling your product. You will have to attend their open house to push your products to their dealers and participate in any special advertising they do for their dealers, etc. You will also need to advertise your brand in the leading Trade Magazines (Pet Product News, Pet Business, Pet Age). It’s helpful to list your distributors in the ad if you only have a few.

Good Selling!

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Is your agency getting you this type of premier placement in trade or consumer pubs? If not, get a Bulldog! Email us today: info@bulldogms.com.

SmartTag in Pet Product News

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1. What lines do you represent? Find out if they are competitive with your line. There has been a lot of consolidation in the pet rep business. There are only 2 full service rep firms that handle Petco, Petsmart and PSP. Yes, there are probably 100 other reps that call on them, but they don’t have the resources to do the retail detailing you will need to be successful. Back to my point. It is rare that there is category exclusivity with reps anymore unless maybe you are a major food line.

2. How do you charge? This is important. Most reps will charge between 3 – 8% commission of your wholesale cost. The reputable reps will ONLY charge on what they sell. If a rep asks for a retainer – RUN, don’t walk away. If a rep believes in your line they will do the upfront work to get the appointment and present your product on good faith.

3. What are your retail merchandising capabilities? This is also important. Petco & Petsmart have abysmal execution rates. Basically this means that your product has a 50% or less chance of being displayed properly on the store shelf if you rely on store staff. A good rep will have a “detailing” team that can go out and get your product from the back room and get it to the shelf. Sometimes this service will be included for the commission rate, sometimes it will be charged separately. It usually depends on the $$ size of your line.

Good luck and good selling!

If you need more info contact us at info@bulldogms.com.

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Leading Pet Chain Now Selling Innovative Pet ID Tags
Secaucus, NJ — (May 15, 2010) –SmartTag™ (http://www.idtag.com), the innovative pet recovery ID tag powered by eAlert™ and produced by LittleGifts, Inc., announced today its availability at PETCO. SmartTag’s eAlert feature sends a pet’s profile by email to surrounding shelters, rescues and its veterinarian if a pet is reported lost. In addition, if a pet is found, a call to SmartTag’s 24/7 Pet Recovery Emergency Response Center connects the pet to its owner in minutes.

“Now the most effective Pet ID recovery system will be available to consumers nationwide,” said David Sarnowski, VP Sales & Marketing. “Being available at PETCO allows our advanced pet protection system to go mainstream. SmartTag is no longer for just early adopters.”

SmartTag will be merchandised in the collar/lead area with “Aisle Invader” POP displays. The POP will include the SmartTag ID and a quick overview of the product benefits as well as information on how to use the product. In-store circular ads and tagged print advertising in Dog Fancy along with trial promotions will drive sales at PETCO. TV support is scheduled for July 2010 to promote the product and service.

SmartTag will retail for $9.99 with service plans starting at $9.95 for 1 year of service. It is also available for purchase at www.idtag.com.

About SmartTag:
SmartTag provides pet owners with an around-the-clock solution for recovering lost pets. On the back of each stylish SmartTag is a unique serial number. The pet owner simply registers this number at IDTAG.com and creates an online pet profile — including pictures, vet records and owner contact information. If the pet ever goes missing, the owner simply calls SmartTag or logs onto the website. Thanks to eAlert™ technology, an instant Lost Pet Alert will be automatically broadcasted to local shelters and rescue organizations within 50 miles of a pet’s last known location. Then live operators, available 24/7, will call up to six emergency contact numbers to notify the owner as soon as the pet has been found. If someone recovers a pet with SmartTag they can call the toll-free number on the tag or log onto www.IDTAG.com.
For more information, call 1-888-560-0985 or visit www.IDTAG.com.

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