Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - CAT-alogues & DOG-alogues: Pet Marketing

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

 This week, we talk about Pet Marketing.The pet products industry is worth about $150 billion dollars. And when you love a pet, money is no object.We’ll listen to a pet food campaign that had dogs conduct a symphony orchestra.We’ll flip through IKEA’s CAT-alogues and DOG-alogues.And we’ll explore Dolly Parton’s “Doggy Parton” fashion line.-----Looking for where to find a discount on the Saily data plan?Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code TERRY at checkout. Download Saily app or go tohttps://saily.com/terry Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Douglas Mattress. Canada's best mattress. This is an Apostrophe podcast production. We're going to show you our big news judo-baker. Start the car! Oh my me, that's a spicy meatball. What love doesn't conquer, alka-seltzer will. What a relief!

You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. One day, a cute little Yorkshire Terrier that belonged to a family named Witherspoon went missing. The family scoured the neighborhood but no doggy. They were devastated. Then the Witherspoons made a shocking discovery. Footage from their doorbell camera showed a woman with dyed red hair creeping onto their front porch offering their dog a treat then scooping him up and running away. Not long after, the family got a menacing phone text with a video of their little Yorkie looking scared in a cage. The text demanded $1,200 ransom.

According to reports, dog nappings of purebreds have increased 30% recently, as a lucrative resale market has popped up. Some of those dog nappings were violent. Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot in Los Angeles, and her two French bulldogs were stolen. The Witherspoons filed a police report, but detectives were busy on human cases. So Mrs. Witherspoon told a television reporter about the ransom demand, and the story was broadcast on the news that night. A man named Rick Machamer saw the story. He had a very particular set of skills. Mokomar had served in Iraq and was an expert at tracking down Al-Qaeda leaders.

So he contacted the Wither Spoons and offered his help. The family sent Mokomar the doorbell video and the dog napper's phone number from the ransom text. The number, of course, was unregistered. So Machamer used software to extract geolocation data from the video the dognapper sent of the Yorkie in the cage, but none existed. Next, since the perpetrator had dyed red hair,

he searched hair salons near the Witherspoons looking for photos of customers or staff, but there were no matches. Then Machamer thought of something. He put the dognapper's phone number into his iPhone contacts, which was linked to his Instagram account. He knew Instagram would likely recommend he follow any accounts associated with that number. Sure enough, Instagram offered up a profile, a body-piercing business not far from the

Witherspoon's home. The account had a post linking to the owner's personal Instagram account. On that account, there was one photo of a home and the address was clear. When Machamer alerted the Witherspoons, they said they had noticed that the lost dog flyers they had posted near that address had been torn down. The family gave that information to the police. Two days later, a detective called to say, we have your dog, we're on the way. The perpetrator was charged with theft and extortion. Machamer's particular set of skills

had found the furry little needle in the haystack, and one scared little Yorkshire terrier was reunited with one very happy family. Pets aren't just pets. They are a part of the family. So, pet owners spend a lot of money on their furry friends. It has become a massive marketing category. In North America alone, the pet product industry is worth close to $160 billion per year and growing.

How the pet industry markets to pet owners is very creative and the ads that try to convince people to adopt shelter animals are even more inventive. More than half of all Canadians own at least one pet. We collectively spend about $7 billion on our pets every year, and that figure is going up. Dog food is the fastest growing item on the list. It costs about $4,000 a year to own a dog, roughly half that to own a cat.

And while cats are less expensive to own, they eat less and require less trips to the vet, the first year of a kitten's life can cost Canadians about $1,900. Dental cleanings for cats alone can cost around $740 bucks per year. In the States, 66% of households own pets, and Americans spend about $150 billion on their furry and feathered friends. It's not cheap to own a pet these days, and there is a lot of profit to be made selling pet supplies. There are many categories of pet-related companies. Pet food, pet gear, pet toys, pet supplements, pet clothes, pet grooming, pet insurance, and pet vet bills.

It can be a lot. But the companionship pets offer can be priceless. Here's an amusing campaign from Petagree in New Zealand. The campaign is titled, The Child Replacement Program. The insight that fueled the campaign was that when kids move out of the house, parents can feel a void. So Petagree decided to use humor saying that when the kids move out, let a dog move in. The commercials were very amusing. In one, a voiceover reminisces about an old tree house that was built by dad and son.

You built this tree house with your father. For one summer, you measured and he cut. He spoke and you listened. And together, you turned a tree into something that would mean so much more. Today it stands as a symbol of the enduring love that... At that moment, Dad charges over and kicks symbol of the enduring love that... At that moment, Dad charges over and kicks one of the rungs on the treehouse ladder,

breaking it off. Then he picks it up and plays catch with his new dog. Go on, mate, go get it. Yes, yeah, go on, go on. The commercial ends with a framed photo of a sun being knocked over and a photo of a dog taking its place. It's a funny campaign with tongue planted firmly in cheek. While Pedigree benefits from having more people own more dogs, the company also has a stated mission to convince more people

to adopt dogs from shelters. The campaign also had another element, a website that connects dogs that need homes with homes that need dogs. Empty nesters could type in the characteristics of their son or daughter who has left home, and the website would try and find a dog with those same basic characteristics. Active, lazy, fun, quiet, big or small, whatever the traits, Pedigree would link an appropriate shelter dog to a new home. The results?

It was New Zealand's most successful adoption drive in 15 years. There was an 824% increase in dog adoption inquiries. In the first six weeks of the campaign, there were more inquiries than in the last two years combined. And, good news for Pedigree. Sales grew 16% in a dog food market that had only grown by 1% that year. The Pedigree Child Replacement Program. When they move out, move on. Adopt a dog. Pedigree has another campaign that I thought was interesting. This one is called Adoptable, emphasis on the ad.

Adoptable uses AI technology to transform a basic photo of a shelter dog into a studio quality photograph. That shelter dog photo can then be inserted into any digital pedigree ad. So for example, a big outdoor digital ad would say, make cleaning their teeth a treat with pedigree dentists sticks. And it would show a shelter dog sitting beside a dentistic package. There was also a QR code on the digital billboard.

Each ad directs people to a personalized landing page where they can learn more about the actual dog they just saw in the ad and how near the dog is to them geographically. Because if the dog is close by, more people are likely to act. When that dog is adopted, its face is immediately dropped out of the pedigree media rotation and another dog's photo takes its place. Most companies have purpose-led initiatives, but the money they spend on those initiatives is just a fraction of their budgets.

But with this idea, every dollar pedigree spends on advertising, is also spent on helping shelter dogs find homes. The campaign has led to six times more shelter visits by the public, and 50% of the featured shelter dogs found homes within the first two weeks. This campaign was so successful, it is being rolled out globally. And by 2026, every digital ad that Pedigree buys worldwide will feature its adoptable technology. The market for pet clothes is projected to hit $8 billion by 2032. And your pooch can actually dress better than you.

High fashion designers have pet lines, including Ralph Lauren, Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Christian Louboutin. At Gucci, collars and leashes cost about $600 each, a Gucci food bowl is $2,200, and pet carrying cases will set you back about $5,000. But my favorite pet fashion line comes from Dolly Parton. It was all inspired by the very first record she ever recorded in 1959 called Puppy Love. Puppy love, puppy love, they don't call it puppy love. I'm over the moon, I'm over the sand, and I like it, it's puppy love. Dolly does love animals. So in 2022, she launched a line of pet clothes and accessories called Doggy parton. Puppy love was my very first record,

and six decades later, my love for pets is stronger than ever. This inspired me to start my own line of doggy parton apparel, accessories, toys, and more with the little dolly flair. Now, part of the proceeds will support Willoughby Farms, a rescue for animals in need by never ending love. Don't we all need that?

There are pet tracksuits, pet puffer jackets, and pet rhinestone dresses. Doggie Parton also offers collars and leashes, bedding, and toys. There's even an entire Dolly dog getup complete with a blonde wig. And everything is moderately priced. Dolly also holds a pet gala where celebrities share the runway with their very fashionable four-legged friends. And as you heard Dolly say, she gives back a portion of every sale to an animal rescue. Recently, IKEA in the UK launched its new line of pet items. Dog beds, blankets, cozy cat houses, stylish scratch boards and fun pet toys, all designed

with four pet activities in mind – sleeping, playing, eating, and hiding. And each piece was designed with input from veterinarians and pet experts. IKEA then created online lookbooks that featured its new 29-piece pet collection. One was called a catalog, and the other was called a doggalog. The lookbooks contain beautiful photographs of the IKEA items

with dogs and cats enjoying them. And all of those dogs and cats are from shelters. So the lookbooks not only tell you about the pet furniture, but they also tell you about the pets in the photos and how to adopt them. IKEA also made monetary donations to local pet shelters and donated all the fun pet furniture. Search IKEA cat-alog and dog-alog online.

When we return, solving the Toronto dog poop problem. Traveling in Europe is such a unique experience for us Canadians. You can hop from country to country with ease. For Canadians with a country that stretches for more than 5,000 kilometres, it seems almost impossible to imagine visiting five or more countries in just a couple of days. One way to make that experience even more enjoyable would be to use the eSIM from SAILI. SAILI allows your phone to connect immediately on arrival in almost any country and save on roaming fees. You can download your app and pick your plan in advance of your trip. So when you land you can connect easily. No search and

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Happy traveling. Dog poop is becoming a big problem in Toronto. The surge of pet adoptions during the pandemic has led to many inexperienced dog owners who don't pick up after their new pets. So a local pet store called Timmy Pet Supplies decided to lend a hand. It wasn't an easy fix. To help alleviate the poop problem, the campaign had to connect with dog owners

without pointing fingers and putting people on the defensive. So the pet store partnered with a Toronto advertising agency called BLKW and came up with an unusual idea. We're all familiar with lost flyers we see put up around the city featuring a photo of a lost pet. So Timmy put up found flyers all around the city showing photos of poop that had been found and left behind. And instead of phone number tearaways at the bottom of the flyer, they had seven free doggy

poop bags hanging there. The flyers said, If you're the owner, please come pick up. Feel free to use these complimentary bags or visit Timmy Pet Supplies and Grooming for all your pet needs. The owner of Timmy said that if nobody comes forward to claim the poop, maybe other dog owners can use the bags to help out. He said, fingers and paws crossed, Toronto can stay beautiful and poop free.

As we were saying earlier, pet maintenance is expensive. Not long ago, Meow Mix, the only food cats ask for by name, gave cat owners a way to win, or shall I say earn, free cat food. You're no doubt familiar with the meow mix jingle from the 1980s. Yep, it's a classic. In a survey taken 16 years after the jingle was taken off the air, In a survey taken 16 years after the jingle was taken off the air, 81% of people surveyed claimed to have heard the jingle recently. That's how sticky that jingle is, still bouncing around noggin 16 years later. Knowing that, Meow Mix created an amusing Meow-a-thon.

It produced a 12-hour loop of the jingle and challenged cat owners to listen for hours at a time. The longer you listened the more cat food you could earn. Audio coupons were inserted at various points in the 12-hour Meow-a-thon and there was no way to skip ahead. You had to listen for hours to get the coupons. It was a definite commitment. As Meow Mix said, why not try? You already know the words. The 12-hour Meow Mix jingle was probably the longest YouTube pre-roll ever,

and was also available on the Meow Mix website. If you hung in there for the entire 12 hours, there was a chance to win an ultimate reward pack with a variety of Meow Mix products. It was definitely an endurance test. And by the way, it's rumored that the CIA often used the Meow Mix jingle on endless loops to wear down suspects during interrogations. Pettigrew, who we mentioned earlier, came up with another amusing idea. It assembled a full classical orchestra and brought in dogs to conduct the orchestras.

Actually, it was the dogs' tails that did the conducting. The orchestra sat at the ready, then various dogs were brought in and put on a stool. Then the dogs were offered various stimuli from dog toys that made their tails wag gently, to broccoli which made their tails stop dead, to pedigree treats that made their tails wag furiously. As you know, conductors control the tempo of an orchestra. So this orchestra had to follow the tempo of the dog's tails. When the tails wagged fast, the orchestra had to follow the tempo of the dog's tails. When the tails wagged fast, the orchestra had to play

Prastissimo very quickly. Or... So when tail went down, we had to play softer or quieter. The tempo of the classical pieces went from slow and mellow to bright and rapidly joyful. But here's the best part.

Ten of the classical pieces, as conducted by the dogs, were recorded and put on Spotify. If you want to hear them, search Pedigree Tail Orchestra. I noticed the playlist has over 4,800 monthly listeners. And with every stream, Pedigree donates money to help dogs in need find loving homes. As Pedigree says, the music is the sound of puppy joy. When We Return, doctors prescribe dogs. God help us, but Canada has never been more interesting. What is happening now is urgent and important, and you need to stay on top of it.

Every day on Canada Land, we bring you the information you need. About Canadian politics. And Canadian media. Through smart conversations. And original investigations. This is Canada like you've never heard it before. Listen to Canada Land, wherever you get your podcasts. We're all familiar with the non-stop onslaught of pharmaceutical commercials. There seems to be a new, hard to pronounce drug for every possible ailment, including

heart conditions. For people with heart problems, we recommend Astra. Astra is prescribed by most cardiologists to help reduce the risk of a heart attack. Astra doesn't come in pills. Astra is a mix of sweet and silly 4-year-old dog ready to be adopted. People who adopted other dogs like Astra could reduce the risk of death by 65%. Get your pet subscription dog today and take it home. Adopting a dog could save their life and yours. risk of death by 65%. Get your pet's description dog today and take it home. Adopting a dog could save their life and yours.

Yes, you heard right. Astra is a dog. Research shows that owning a dog and walking a dog every day help people with heart conditions to stay healthy. And owning a dog was linked to a lower risk of death after a heart attack. In this unexpected campaign, a Dallas Animal Rescue Service partnered with doctors

to create an initiative called Prescription Dogs. During Heart Month, doctors prescribed adoptable dogs as part of a medical treatment for patients with heart conditions. Doctors were able to prescribe dogs like Astra right from their offices. Every adoptable dog was its own prescription, or pet-scription, with age, breed, and gender, and a unique QR code that took people directly to the animal shelter to begin the adoption process.

The campaign was a huge success. Twelve hundred additional people visited the adoption website. There was a 72% increase in Instagram visits. And 67% of the shelter dogs were adopted in one month. Prescription dogs. You touch their hearts. They help yours. Two more campaigns that just made me laugh.

The first is a commercial about a guy who has a boa constrictor as a pet. Peter wanted a dog, but thought it'd be too much responsibility. So he got a boa. It doesn't come with nearly as many responsibilities, but it does come with one. Making sure the lid is secure, so it doesn't get out and sneak up on him and squeeze them to death.

So instead of lots of responsibilities, it's just the one. Words on the screen say, just get the dog. Hilarious. In Ecuador, an animal shelter wanted to convince people to adopt older dogs. Everybody wants the cute puppies, but older dogs are only chosen 25% of the time. So an advertising agency there created a cheeky print campaign, and I don't know how they got away with it. One poster showed Leonardo DiCaprio with his young girlfriend, Camilla Maroni, at the beach.

He's got a pot belly, she's in a revealing bikini. Under Leo it says 48 years old. Next to Camilla it says 25 years old. In another poster, it showed Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler with his younger girlfriend, Amy Preston. Under Tyler's face it said, 74 years old. Under Preston's face it said, 35 years old. Both posters had the same headline.

Adopt an old dog. If you're a pet owner, you know firsthand how precious pets are. They truly are members of the family. And when something is that loved, money is no object. In most of the ads we talked about today, there was both a profit motivation and an altruistic one. Companies like Pedigree and Purina are big corporations, but they also want to help animals that are in shelters. Yes, it's true that the more pet owners there are,

the bigger the revenue potential. But those companies are putting their money where their advertising is. Every pedigree ad features an adoptable dog complete with adoption information. And they're doing it worldwide. It's also interesting that many of these companies are choosing to use humor, especially when asking people to adopt abandoned or abused shelter animals. There is, of course, another way to go, which is showing images of abused animals,

but I always find those impossible to watch. Humor just seems to be better catnip. I'm always amazed advertisers can still find fresh and creative ways of advertising good old pet food. No offense to Leonardo DiCaprio, but it seems you can teach an old dog new tricks when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the TearStream mobile recording studio. Producer Debbie O'Reilly, Chief Sound Engineer Jeff Devine, under the influence theme by Casey Pick, Jeremiah Pick, and James Aitin.

Barks courtesy of our friend Dexter. Tunes provided by APM Music. Follow me at TerryOInfluence. This podcast is powered by A-Cast. See you next week. Fun fact. Hi, this is Trudy from Windsor, Ontario. When Dolly Parton recorded the song,

Puppy Love in 1959, she was just 13 years old. I'm standing and waving the flag. For Canada. Hi, this is Mark Critch. I'm standing and waving the flag for Canada. Hi, this is Mark Critch. I love hearing the sound of laughter. In fact, my job depends on it. But right now, the jobs of most Canadians

depend on other things, like all of us coming together, buying Canadian-made products, and supporting Canadian businesses. Shop as if your country depends on it. Keep your money in Canada for Canada.