Where's the real opportunity in marketing today: High tech? E-commerce? Health care? Business to business?
Or maybe it's somewhere a little unexpected: Dogs. As customers go, dogs could be a marketer's dream: Low cost of acquisition (free or nearly so at your local shelter) is possible even if you/your family goes the breeder route like mine did (that's my dog Mick pictured above). Lovingly faithful (without expensive loyalty rewards programs). And willing to roll over and beg for whatever you're selling. The only drawback is going through the gatekeepers (us humans) to reach them.
More than one marketer has said, "pets are the new people." According to the American Pet Products Association, there are more pets than people in the US: 411.8 million pets, 310.3 million people. People will spend an estimated $47.7 million on their pets in 2010. And among pets, dogs are the top dogs - 45.6% of U.S. households have a dog
What's behind this love affair with Fido? One theory has it that we humans co-evolved with dogs. The two-part PBS special "Dogs That Changed the World" tells how man's best friend changed human society and how we in turn have radically transformed dogs.
Evidence that this is true comes from Googling "dog marketing" and getting no less than 9,090,000 hits - sites with dog-related products, services, marketing specialists and more. This goes way beyond the expected dog food brand sites, dog training schools, and guides to breeds, rawhide bones, squeaky toys and so forth.
• Honda rolled out an Element SUV model especially for dogs and their owners.
• Matthew Osborn made his fortune with his dog poop pickup service, and Ken and Roni di Lullo started making theirs by marketing goggles for dogs.
• In the UK, the Harrods department store created the worlds largest dog biscuit.
• From Amazon.com, you can order a book titled "Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You'll Never Meet."
• Marketers get stressed out. So do dogs. Help them and help yourself, by starting a second career at The Lang Institute For Canine Massage.
• To help Fido get over the hump, there's a sex doll for dogs.
• Now there's social networking for dogs at DogTree and MyDogSpace and check out my dog Mick's (Mick Maites) Facebook page and his many friends
• There's even a blog (appropriately named "Dog Marketing Blog") with posts on new strategic insights, dog food introductions, ad campaigns, promotions and more.
But the best evidence of the marketing opportunity in dogs may be in the attraction that the word "dog" has for marketers. Google results for "dog marketing" include agencies called Lead Dog Marketing, Top Dog Marketing, Alpha Dog Marketing...even Stubborn Dog Marketing. There are at least 20 different in the first three pages, and few if any of them have anything to do with marketing pet products.