Last year, the New York Times published a story that stated our attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish. Since we are exposed to seemingly endless choices and messages every moment of every day, it’s no wonder our ability to focus has decreased. As a result, marketers are constantly seeking new ways to effectively reach out to their audience and gain their attention.
A recent study conducted by Trone Research + Consulting in collaboration with Brakke Consulting, Inc. revealed some behaviors among pet owners that present new opportunities for reaching this audience. Not surprisingly, the newest generation of pet owners are the biggest driver behind these behaviors.
Services
Like most of us, pet owners are busy and seek convenience wherever possible. Use of services is one way pet owners help manage their time. Doggy day care, boarding and pet sitting services help pet owners juggle their schedules while keeping their pets happy. 21 percent of pet owners use at least one of these services, and Millennials over-index on all three of them. This is an opportunity to influence the influencer by providing samples, coupons or literature about your brand to those who supply these pet care services. Remember: if they are in the industry, they most likely have pets of their own.
Sixty-five percent of Millennials use grooming services (versus 49% of all pet owners). In fact, 33 percent of Millennial pet owners leverage this service at least once month (versus 17% of Gen-Xers and 11% of Boomers). Mobile Grooming is a trend that will only increase the number of people who use this service. If you have a product that relates to pet hygiene, skin or coat, think about focusing your efforts on influencing groomers. They can be an advocate for litter, flea and tick prevention, oral care, nutrition and dermatologicproducts. While they may not sell these products directly, they often provide countless potential customers their trusted recommendations for their favorite solutions.
Travel
Anthropomorphism of pets and premiumization of products is a global trend not isolated to the United States. Pet parents are demanding more, including new ways to take their pets along wherever they go. This demand has caused an influx of new opportunities including a sharp growth in pet-friendly hotels and even the creation of pubs that have a dog park on site with dog sitters monitoring services. Pet parents are on the go, but still want to spend as much time as possible with their pets. As you might suspect, the younger generation of pet parents is the most likely to capitalize on these trends. Here’s what the Trone Brand Energy study revealed about traveling with pets.
In today’s environment of endless messages and short attention spans, it’s not enough to simply expose your brand to pet parents in the old, familiar locations. While it remains critical to maintain digital and channel exposure, we must also meet consumers where they are. Seeking out exposure through these emerging trends in pet parenting can give your brand the extra boost you’ve been seeking.
Contact us and we’ll help you get outside of the box.
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Veterinarians discuss medications and health-related services with clients every day, but they’re not always as confident about recommending pet foods, treats and supplements, especially if they don’t carry the product in-clinic. In fact, many veterinarians are actually worried that endorsing a product they don’t carry will hurt their bottom line or take valuable visit time that should be used to discuss something more important.
Here’s yet another article about marketing to Millennials. You already know they use social media. An article from the Wall Street Journal shows that Millennials spend almost 8 hours a day using social media. What you may not know is that one of the biggest mistakes in marketing is lumping Millennials into one big category. According to research by Curalate, there are 14 distinct Millennial personas, and at Trone Research + Consulting, we know how to create content to get the attention of each one of them. There’s a Millennial called “The Boss Babe.” She probably has a dog. So does “the Quarter-Life Crisis,” because pets make everything better.
Many veterinarians have expressed concern about pet owners using the internet to seek advice about pet healthcare rather than visiting a veterinarian for an examination of their pet by a professional. Veterinarians fear that pet owners may even reduce their visits to the clinic due to the abundance of information readily available online. These concerns are understandable. But need veterinarians fret?
