An unsuspecting trend that 2020 gave us was a dramatic spike in pet adoption. With so many working & learning remotely, people had more time to care for pets. And frankly, everyone needed a little extra joy in their lives. For the first time in a long time, animal shelters ran empty. This turned out to be one of the more positive outcomes from such a challenging year.

This 2020 trend will have a lasting impact as now so many households became forever homes to their newly adopted furry family members. If there’s one thing every pet owner has in common, it’s that they love their pet(s)! Most owners are in constant search of new and clever ways to spoil their furry friends. From new pet gear (collars, leashes, bowls) to toys (balls, chew toys, frisbees) any addition is a good addition. 

According to Sean Knecht, co-founder of PrideBites, pet industry spending has multiplied 4x over since 2000. With pet owners purchasing holiday, birthday, and impromptu gifts, it’s clear that pet owners are spending. According to Knecht, annual industry spend on pet gifts now exceeds $80 million.

So, now that it’s clear that pet lovers are spending their hard-earned money to spoil their animals, how can you as a marketer leverage this trend to promote your brand? The answer is branded pet products.

From client & employee gifts to tradeshow giveaways (tradeshows will be back…eventually), branded pet gear is always a good idea because it associates your brand with a positive experience outside of the office. At every toss of a toy, every walk with the dog, your brand is a participant in a fun-loving consumer experience. 

Imagine you complete a project for chew toys shaped like your logo. They’re given to employees and clients for any number of reasons from meeting follow-up to recognizing an employee for their efforts. Each time their furry friend plays with the toy and adorably returns it to their owner, it’s your logo that they see. The best part? The message isn’t interrupting something they’re trying to enjoy as pesty digital ads do! It’s their pet hand (paw) delivering your message. 

Beyond the positive impression that pet products leave with owners, they also generate considerable brand exposure. When you provide pet owners with a product that they’ll use with regularity, you’re gaining brand recall. According to ASI, promo products generate 85% recall, and that’s with traditional promo. Pet products are specialty items that your recipients will use multiple times a day for an extended period. They’re also more targeted in nature as with these items, it’s likely you’ll be giving them to consumers who own a pet. 

With promo, it’s always good practice to fill a consumer void with your product because your brand will become increasingly present in their lives as a result and generate more impressions, thus, improving ROI. When you provide a pet owner with something that’s inherently useful (you know it will be since you already know they’re a pet owner) you’ll increase product usability which in turn, increases impressions. 

Outside of owner generated impressions, pet owners love sharing their pets with their social networks. According to Knecht, more than 65% of surveyed pet parents report posting about their pets 2+ times a week on social media. This serves as another channel for your pet products to gain additional exposure. 

So, how do you plan on using pet promo to further your brand in 2021?