Digital Marketing in the Pet Industry

A fun Mashable article from last year describes how the pet industry has gone digital.  Although the pet industry is not traditionally associated with technological savvy, the article lists a few ways in which the industry is adopting digital marketing methods.  For example:

• Social media marketing.  Pedigree donated one pound of dog food to a shelter for every Like, post, or tweet about its "Every Dog Deserves" campaign.  Wag.com has a "Mascot of the Week" contest on its Facebook page, among other forms of engagement.  Marketing ideas such as these promote higher consumer engagement with the brand.
• Apps.  Purina created an app, "Petcentric by Purina" that allows users to locate pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, and parks.  There are other fun features such as "Learn to Speak Dog" and "Cat Breed Selector" on the website which help build a network of pet lovers around the Purina brand.
• Subscription services.  Consumers subscribe online to the likes of Petflow and BarkBox for the privilege of receiving pet-related products delivered to their homes.  Companies such as these rely heavily on digital channels for promoting their brands and acquiring new customers.

The pet industry is yet another example of how digital marketing methods are quickly seeing mainstream acceptance.