Pet Marketing Agencies & PR Firms

It is common knowledge that the pet industry is very large. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) indicates that over 63 percent of American households include one or more dogs, and almost 43 percent have a cat as a pet. And approximately $80 billion is spent each year on pets in the US.

What isn’t as commonly known, is that the pet industry has spawned an ecosystem of marketing companies, PR firms and consultants that specialize on pet-related products and services.

This makes great business sense. By focusing on the pet market, boutique agencies position themselves as niche experts, helping them stand apart from the pack. Instead of hiring a generalist who may be new to the pet space, dog and cat companies can find a creative partner that is laser-focused on how to best communicate with pet owners.

This table provides a quick snapshot of creative companies that focus on the pet industry niche. Below the table is a more detailed description of each company.

Name	Location	Services	Portfolio
Big Eye Agency	Orlando, FL	Branding, Research, Strategy
Offleash Communications	Denver, CO	Branding, Strategy	Only Natural Pet, Wagz, Wet Noses
Strategic Pet	Mountain Lakes, NJ	Branding, Strategy	SpotOn Dog Fence, Greenies, Pet Armor, Home Again Microchip
FWV Fetching Communications	Tarpon Springs, FL	Digital Marketing, Branding, Strategy, Social Media Marketing, PR	Voyce Pro, VitusVet, PetHub, VeterinarySpecialists.com
Working with Dog	virtual	Training
Cowbelly Media	San Diego, CA	Web Design, Pet Photography	PetSafe, Pet Naturals, FrontLine, Purina
Pet Creative & Marketing Services	St. Louis, MO	Social Media, Website Design, Branding	Pawsitive Pac, Fur-Tastic K9s,
Pawsible Marketing	Blue Ridge, GA	Marketing Strategy, Branding, Coaching	Fiber for Dogs, Earth Heart, BabelBark
The Pet Firm	Phoenix, AZ	Retail Merchandising & Consulting
Shepherd Pet Care Marketing	Jacksonville, FL Atlanta, GA	Branding, Digital Marketing, Design	FrontLine, Heartgard, NAVC
PetPR	Tarpon Springs, FL	PR Services	PetSafe, Embrace Pet Insurance, PetHub
The Impetus Agency	Reno, NV	PR, Social Media	Vet’s Best, PetSafe, NYC Pet Show
PawsPR	virtual	PR, Strategic Communications	Alley Cat Allies, Sweet Pea Kitchens
Pet Business Solutions	San Diego, CA	Web & Packaging Design, SEO, Social Media, Branding	FIGO Pet Insurance, Einstein Pet, Petzey
MarketPlace	St. Louis, MO	Branding, Web Design, SEO	FURminator, Blue Dog Bakery, Fieldmade
Pet Engine Marketing	Ann Arbor, MI	SEO, Social Media, Web Design	Wags to Whiskers, The Paw Resort, Wiscoy for Animals

Agency Descriptions

Big Eye Agency. This advertising agency released a Pet Industry study in 2019 that contained the results of a 45-question survey of 784 pet owners across the US. The study focused on motivations behind purchase decisions for pet products and what prompts pet owners to try new products and services. The company feels that insights gained from the survey help it provide better marketing services to its clients.

Offleash Communications. The founder of this Denver-based agency was previously with Petmate and Aspen Pet Products. The company has worked with dozens of popular pet brands, providing pet photography services, packing design and brand development.

Strategic Pet. Offering pet marketing research and consulting services for new companies and those wishing to scale-up to the next level, Strategic Pet has over 15 years in the pet industry with deep roots in the packaged-goods-for-pets arena. Their areas of expertise include new product ideas, labeling, and package design, marketing planning, distribution strategies, and brand positioning and repositioning.The firm was founded by a former employee of Proctor & Gamble, who also worked in marketing for Mars.

FWV Fetching Communications. This is a pet and veterinary public relations and marketing company, whose major focus involves expanding their clients reach within the market. They provide media outreach, strategic planning, and social media marketing. They have worked with numerous clients including Pet Hub, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and Eye Care for Animals. The company is a division of the larger French|West|Vaughn agency.

Working With Dog. More of a training company than a traditional advertising agency. The two owners, Jane Harrell and Nichole Smith, offer several coaching services designed specifically for pet entrepreneurs.

Cowbelly Media. This San Diego-based company started as a pet photography business, providing services to retail and commercial clients. They have expanded into offering stock pet photos, creating videos, and web design services.

Pet Creative & Marketing Services. This company focuses on creating WordPress websites for pet businesses. They also offer email and SMS marketing services.

Pawsible Marketing. The company was started by Leslie May, a veteran marketer with over 30 years of experience, and is focused exclusively on helping owners of pet-related businesses with all their marketing needs. Her firm is specifically designed to help pet businesses grow their sales and revenue. Areas of expertise include marketing coaching, lead generation, trade show planning, online presence and strategy, and new product launches. Clients include My Clever Dog, Bio Star, Sea Pet, and Fiber for Dogs.

The Pet Firm. Provides assistance to companies selling through retail pet stores. They leverage connections with both the big national pet chains and networks of independent pet retailers to help promote pet products. The Pet Firm is a division of Acosta, a billion-dollar marketing company for consumer packaged goods brands.

Sheperd Pet Care Marketing. This Florida-based boutique ad agency specializes in marketing to pet parents and veterinarians. It counts several pet med brands among its clients (Heartgard, NexGard, Frontline, Purevax).

PETPR. This company bills itself as the Pet Industry’s leading resource for news and content distribution. They specialize on writing and distributing press releases. It is owned by FWV Fetching.

The Impetus Agency. Another PR agency, this firm leverages its relationship with the American Pet Products Association (APPA) to get its clients message in front of national pet, consumer and trade media.

Pet Business Solutions. This singularly focused company is in business to “Help pet brands tell their story”. They strive to be the leading marketing and consulting agency in the pet business. Their agency provides expert solutions in marketing, web design, e-commerce, and brand development for the pet industry. They have delivered exceptional results for diverse clients such as Figo Pet Insurance, Einstein Pet, Tick Ease, and Socially Conscious Pet Brand.

MarketPlace. This St, Louis-based company is a generalist marketing firm that has experience working with several pet food companies.

PawsPR. This firm develops pet public-relations campaigns and offers business consulting for the pet industry as well as for animal shelters. They are largely focused on helping develop integrated communications strategies for their clients, including press conferences, media campaigns, online community engagement, content for websites and blogs and promotional videos.

Pet Engine Marketing. SEO and website design for independent retail pet stores.

Trends in Pet Marketing

According to a recent Forbes article, the following are some of the trends that are presenting opportunities in the pet industry.

Pet Foods. Pet owners are increasingly not likely to purchase traditional pet foods. Marketing on newer pet-food types is rising dramatically. For example, eating organic bone broth is one of the latest human trends making its way to their pets.

Private Brands for Pets. Large firms such as Amazon, down to small start-up online operations are launching private pet labels, designed to cut out the middleman’s profit.

Pet Treats. The average dog owner feeds their pets 8 to 10 treats each day, creating numerous marketing opportunities for those in the pet retail space. Many of these treats are infused with supplements and vitamins.

CBD for Pets. This niche has exploded over the last few years. Whether or not you are a believer in the benefits of CBD, sales of this product to dogs and cats could exceed $1 billion by 2022.

Pet-Focused Technology. As with most other areas of life, technology has made inroads into the pet industry. Of course, as the operators of a website dedicated to pet technology, we already knew this.

End of Life Services. This is a real growth area for pets and pet owners, with a wide variety of offerings including palliative services and grief counseling.

Summary

As is seen, whether a dog, cat, horse, gerbil, lizard, bird or fish, pets need to eat. Indeed, not only eat, but many pets dine on the best foods and are pampered like never before as well. Today’s pet owners are demanding much more for their pets than in yesteryear.

Because of this, the pet industry has demonstrated rapid growth and a major increase in new trends, all designed to meet the acceleration in demand. Marketing and public relations agencies for pet businesses, veterinarians and animal shelters are increasingly busy, as businesses attempt to increase their market share.