New evidence shows connection between pet ownership and human health benefits. This presentation reviews this emerging opportunity and charts course for brand building benefits and best practices to drive growth of pet care brands.

1. Marketing Pet Brands with Emotional Firepower:
The Power of Pet Ownership…

2. Emerging data is changing the
paradigm of pet ownership and
the opportunity in pet care brand
marketing…

3. Get one of these Or take two of these

4. Impact on obesity/chronic disease and
costs…
 According to Preventing Chronic Disease, regular physical
activity from dog walking can help…
 Mitigate risk factors for obesity, coronary heart disease,
osteoporosis, hypertension and high cholesterol
 Australian national survey on pet ownership and reduced
health costs found…
 58% of respondents who were pet owners experienced a 5%
reduction in annual health expenditures totaling $1.8 billion
 Odendaal discovers pet owners experience increases in
six neuro-chemicals in the brain
 Lowers blood pressure, enhances well-being, happiness

5. Transforming the benefit equation for pet
ownership…
 Study follows 369 cardiac arrest survivors: 112 owned
pets, 251 did not…
 Dog owners survival rates after one year were six times higher
than non-dog owners
 Melbourne Cardio-Vascular clinic tests 6,000 patients
divided into those with and without pets…
 Pet owners had statistically significant lower levels of systolic
blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides
 Cambridge study follows 71 adults with pets and 26 pet-
less controls for 10 months…
 Pet owners showed significant decrease in minor health problems

6. What can pet ownership now mean?
Enhances recovery from serious illness including
stroke and cancer
Helps reduce the frequency and therefore costs
associated with doctor visits
Children exposed to pet allergens in the first year of
life have reduced risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis
Now more frequently recommended in treatment of
autism, Alzheimer's and spinal injury
Dogs can detect presence of certain cancers
Offers verified therapeutic, psychological,
physiological and psychosocial benefits

7. “My pet has a positive impact on my physical health.”

8. Marketing with a Higher Purpose…
The Human
Life-Support
System…
Dr. Marty Becker

9. “Science now proves what brand
Trailblazer strategists have always sensed. We
human beings have a need to
believe in and act upon something
that’s greater than ourselves…a
brand is a belief system. Want
greater rewards? Then impart your
brand with greater meaning…”

10. Emotion drives purchase
Current focus: Celebrate the bond…

11. Current focus: Romance the ingredients…
Emotion drives purchase

12. Will you secure brand
distinctiveness with…
Specsmanship?
“(Insert brand name here)
brings your pet the highest
quality, healthy natural
ingredients you can trust…”
Our nutrition experts are 20%
smarter!!

13. Emotion drives purchase
Disrupt the path of what is expected
and understood in pet food…

14. A new dimension in the pet care
brand conversation…
Better Owner
ingredients/ health and
quality of wellness
life
Emotion drives purchase
Emotional Bond

15. Optimal brand strategy…
Owner
Health/Well-
being
High High
Uniqueness Uniqueness
Uniqueness… Low High
Relevance Relevance
Pet Brand X
In brand’s
ability to
deliver a Low Low
Pet Care
Uniqueness Uniqueness
solution Price, Flavors,
Education
Low Forms High Community
Relevance Relevance and
Experiences
Relevance…
Consumers truly care
about and are interested
in your proposition

16. Updated Pet Food Brand Value Proposition
HELPS ME AND MY PET IMPROVE OUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
FACILITATES MY PASSION FOR EXPERIENCES AND CONNECTION WITH MY PET
DIFFERENTIATED ENABLES A PET PARENTING COMMUNITY UNEXPECTED
EDUCATES ME ABOUT PET NUTRITION
HOLISTIC, NATURAL, ORGANIC
FORM AND FLAVOR VARIETY
QUALITY
INGREDIENTS
Brand
“SAMENESS”
PRICE
UNDIFFERENTIATED EXPECTED

17. Relevant communication
creates engagement…and
that means we’re talking to
consumers about
something that’s new,
interesting and that they
will care about…

18. Integrate human and pet wellness
needs…
PLAY
RELAXATION EXERCISE
Pet
Parent
and Pet
HEALTH NUTRITION
EMOTIONAL
WELFARE

19. I will have a
longer,
healthier,
happier and
more fulfilling
life by caring
for my pet…

20. Holistic brand outreach paradigm…
Advice and
enabling
Pet Owner Sharing
Research health and and
community
well-being
Emotion drives purchase
Expert
voices

21. How to
bring this
new
message to
life
effectively?

22. Outreach strategies…
Events and
Experiences
Earned Media
Paid Media
and Blogger
and SEO
Outreach
Pet
Brand
Message
Platform
Email
Brand-Owned
Conversion
Media
Strategies
Social Platform
Integration

23. Social optimization…
93% of on-line consumers are subscribers to
permission-based email
• 50% make purchases as a result of email offers
38% of on-line consumers are Facebook
users with at least one brand “like”
• Highest among 18 to 34 year olds
5% of on-line consumers have a Twitter
account and follow at least one brand
• Twitter influential across other platforms
Source: ExactTarget

25. Appropriate
How should pet care brands video
leverage FACEBOOK? content
• Emotive imagery
• Influential voices
• Relevant content
• Appropriate to brand
positioning and
differentiation
messages…
Cause
marketing Build a
tie-in community
Connect
Engaging content, Relations, Social Media Ideation
2011 Public
exclusive offers… with
Bloggers
November 4, 2010

26. Hercules was hit by a car and
left for dead. Today he is
walking with the help of
FOUND through surgery,
water therapy and muscle
building techniques.
www.foundchicago.org

27. Brand-Owned Media
Best Practices…
• Outside experts and
influencers
• Viewer/reader benefit
focus
• Video channel
• E-zine, e-newsletter,
e-book

28. My pet is helping me take
care of me, too…
Drive for uniqueness and higher purpose by positioning your
brand as a credible source on pet and pet owner wellness…

29. Trailblazer A pet brand’s higher purpose
leads to a relationship…
A relationship creates
engagement and generates
preference…
And that builds sales.

30. Thank You!
Bob Wheatley
Wheatley & Timmons, Inc
312-755-6200
bob@wheatleytimmons.com
Blog: brandtrailblazers.com/blog
Web: www.wheatleytimmons.com