Freshpet launches 'Letters' campaign to highlight fresh petfood

Freshpet, a petfood company making fresh, refrigerated dog and cat food in the US, has launched a new marketing campaign, “Letters,” featuring real pet parents, real pets and their true stories about how feeding fresh food has made a positive difference in their lives.

With more than 2,000 letters received already, Freshpet chose 15 families who had previously written in about their experiences feeding fresh and surprised them with a trip to New York and a chance to star in digital and TV advertising.
“Every time we read a letter it makes us very proud of what we do, and we are more determined than ever to continue making fresh food our pets can enjoy for years to come," said Scott Morris, Freshpet co-founder. "We consistently hear from Freshpet parents that their dogs and cats are not just living, they are thriving, on a fresh diet. The ‘Letters’ campaign gives us a platform to celebrate and share these amazing stories.”
Freshpet will host the “Letters” campaign on Freshpet.com, where pet parents can read hundreds of letters, learn more about the people and pets featured in the advertising, and send in their own story. Additionally, every Tuesday Freshpet will spotlight one testimonial using #TuesdayTransformation across their social media channels. Throughout the campaign, Freshpet will select pet parents to send surprises to as “thank yous” for their support. Some special surprise moments will be captured on photo and video and shared back with the Freshpet community.

Pets Add Life launches Pies 4 Paws to benefit pet shelters

Pets Add Life spokesperson, award-winning animal advocate and bestselling author Jill Rappaport, who is best-known as a correspondent on NBC, has launched the Pies 4 Paws challenge, inviting people across the US to take a pie in the face to raise funds and awareness for shelter and rescue pets.

Participants are encouraged to take a pie in the face, donate to a rescue or shelter or adopt a pet, and nominate four other people to do the same. Other celebrities are taking part in the challenge, including Robert Redford who has pledged to donate and Meredith Vieira who took a pie in the face and in turn challenged Betty White, Matt Lauer and Howard and Beth Stern.
“Take a pie, donate and adopt, it’s the perfect trifecta,” said Rappaport. “There are 8 million companion animals living in shelters and more needs to be done for them to find them forever homes. The first time I heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge, I thought, I have to do this for pets in need.”
Rappaport’s Pies 4 Paws challenge was first launched with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and has since garnered participation from major national organizations including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Humane Association, Pilots N Paws and the nationwide pet insurance provider, PetPlan. It is now spreading through shelters, rescues and pet lovers across the country, including the Southampton Animal Shelter, Pet Haven Rescue (Florida), Mainline Animal Recue (Pennsylvania), Connecticut Humane Society and the Humane Society of Utah.
Pies 4 Paws encourages community based groups, schools and families to participate, joining Rappaport and many others to raise funds for animals in crisis. Take photos and upload them to social media with the hashtag #JillRappaportsPies4Paws and then make a donation to the shelter or rescue group of your choice. Then challenge your friends to do the same. 

Merrick kicks off 'Merrick Mealtime Mayhem' Facebook contest

Merrick has kicked off its "Merrick Mealtime Mayhem" Facebook contest, which encourages pet parents to share video and photos of their dogs "going wild" for the taste of all-natural Merrick. The grand-prize winner will receive a two-year supply of Merrick, according to the company.

To learn more about and enter the contest, check out Merrick's Facebook page. Tag entries with #DogsLoveMerrick.

Petfood Forum offers app for 2014 conference

Petfood Forum is launching an app for its 2014 conference and Petfood Workshop: Marketing to Today's Consumers. The app, produced by A2Z Inc. under its ChirpE mobile platform, will be available mid-March.

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The app will allow Petfood Forum and Workshop participants to customize their conference experience and keep up with any changes or announcements. Features include:

• A full schedule for each conference (Petfood Forum and Petfood Workshop), plus schedules by track within each conference;
• A list of speakers, including photos and bios;
• A list of exhibitors, searchable by name and product category, with a "Map It" function that takes users directly to the exhibit hall floor map;
• The ability to "favorite" sessions and speakers, adding them to a My Planner feature for each user, along with the ability to check off each session attended or exhibitor visited;
• A notes function that allows users to take personal notes and email them to colleagues (or to themselves to access after the conference);
• A "buzz" feature alerting users to special sessions or exhibits, plus any changes in schedule or locations;
• Access to information on conference hotels, transportation and area restaurants and attractions;
• Access to Petfood Industry's social media, including direct access to a Petfood Forum Twitter hashtag; and
• The ability to log in to the A2Z system to access further Petfood Forum information.
To download the app, search for Petfood Forum 2014 in iTunes (for Apple devices) or Google Play (for Android devices) after March 15.

Positive Identification of Pets offers smartphone app for lost pets

Founder and CEO of Positive Identification of Pets (PiP) Philip Rooyakkers has developed a smartphone app that helps pet owners act quickly when their dog or cat goes missing. Launched on iTunes, the app uses advanced facial recognition technology to help identify lost pets and reunite them with their families, according to Rooyakkers.

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Cloud-based technology stores pet information, including breed, photos, age, size, gender and any other possible unique traits that the pet may have. If a pet goes missing, the app will activate an "Amber Alert" to veterinarians, animal control and rescue agencies, PiP subscribers, and social media users within the owner's local area. It will also begin monitoring social media sites for any postings of found pets. When a pet is found, the system analyzes the photos for a match.  
Rooyakkers is also the co-founder of The Urban Puppy Shop, a doggy daycare and grooming service in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

PetSafe launches social sharing and remote treating system for pets

PetSafe has launched its SocialPet camera and treat dispenser, a complete system that allows pet owners to remotely treat and socially share photos and videos of their pets via the SocialPet Facebook app.

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According to Randy Boyd, CEO and founder of Radio Systems Corporation, makers of the PetSafe brand, the popularity of social networking and pet owners' desire to interact with their pets while away from home were the foundation for developing the innovative SocialPet system. "Visiting social network sites is the number one activity on the web," said Boyd. "As the leader in innovative pet products, we saw the opportunity to make busy pet owners' lives easier by developing the SocialPet system. We're excited for SocialPet to hit the market and can't wait to see how it improves the pet ownership experience."
SocialPet enables pet owners to see, treat and share their pet's best moments from anywhere. The SocialPet system includes a camera and treat dispenser that can be accessed anytime via a computer or smartphone through the SocialPet Facebook app. Pet owners and their friends can watch a live video stream of the pet, take and share photos with others, and give the pet his or her favorite treats all through the app. SocialPet also allows pet parents to set certain permissions for friends and family, as well as a feeding schedule through the app, so that their pet can only be treated during the times (or users) they select.
In addition to remote treating and sharing photos and videos of their pet through the SocialPet Facebook App, pet owners can also use SocialPet's live video stream feature to monitor their pet's behavior when they're not around. Pet owners may learn that their pet isn't truly housetrained or suffers from separation anxiety. The SocialPet system is also great for multiple pet households where pet owners may not know which pet is responsible for each action when they're not at home. 

PetFlow.com highest-trafficked North American online pet property

PetFlow.com, an online pet goods store, has become the highest-trafficked online pet property in North America, averaging 50 million unique visitors per month, according to reports.

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PetFlow.com was created in 2010 to help customers manage their petfood. The company's "auto-replenishment" system allows its customers to save time and money through automatic delivery, where they can receive orders for their preferred brand of petfood and supplies every two to 16 weeks, or at the frequency of their choosing. PetFlow.com stocks nearly 300 premium, health-conscious petfood and supply brands, many of which were only available at regional, specialty stores prior to being available at the website.
"PetFlow.com's massive traffic is a testament to how many loving pet owners there are in North America," said Alex Zhardanovsky, one of the founders of the site. "When we launched PetFlow.com, Web pundits said that online pet supply services were incapable of success, but these latest statistics prove again that pet owners are smart consumers that demand quality and the highest levels of customer service. PetFlow.com is happy to provide both to our loyal customers."

New Nature's Recipe digital campaign shows cat, dog perspective

New York Times
Nature's Recipe's new digital campaign gives "collar cameras" to pet owners so they can post the photos online in scrapbooks.
Del Monte Foods' Nature's Recipe petfood brand is launching a new digital campaign that says it provides views from the dog's- and cat's-eye perspective. The US$2.6 million "Nature's Recipe for Moments" campaign has the tagline: "See life through their eyes. Experience the moments that Nature's Recipe can provide."
The campaign centers on a microsite, naturesrecipeformoments.com, where visitors can browse virtual scrapbooks of photographs meant to chronicle some of America's relationships between pets and their owners. The photographs in the scrapbooks are snapped by "collar cameras" provided by Nature's Recipe to cat and dog owners who the company deemed to be influencers.
The campaign currently has 40 pets and the goal is for 50 scrapbooks. As part of the campaign, consumers will be offered a chance to enter a contest through the Nature's Recipe Facebook fan page to win collar cameras so they, too, can contribute photographs. Visitors to the site can share the scrapbooks via social media.
The lead agency for the campaign is Digitaria in San Diego, California, USA, part of the JWT division of WPP, the digital agency of record for Nature's Recipe.
"When we think about marketing to our consumers, where our consumers are engaging, we look at using digital to reach them, understand them," said Gina Squara, director for digital strategy at Del Monte Foods, primarily because owners are already "in the digital space."
Sarah Kotlova, vice president for client services at Digitaria, said the goal was to give Nature's Recipe a more emotional approach in a category in which ads can be "very bland," depicting "dogs walking on the beach" or arguing "over what's in the food or what's not in the food: 'We have carrots.' 'We don't have carrots.'"
Influenced by lifelogging, or tracking one's life by capturing data and images with cameras and computers, she came up with the concept to use technology to demonstrate pets' lives "through their eyes, from their perspective," Kotlova said.

AFB International launches Palatants Plus blog

AFB International launched a new blog to help petfood industry professionals stay updated on petfood industry research and developments. 
The blog, Palatants Plus, is designed to share insight into the science of palatability and how it can enhance petfood performance. Current topics include collaborative innovation, palatability testing, electronic nose (e-nose), electronic tongue (e-tongue) and flavor fatigue. New content is added regularly.

Purina ONE, GOOD celebrate pets as everyday heroes with new contest

Purina ONE and GOOD are teaming up to celebrate the ways that pets are everyday heroes with the new "Hero Pets to the Rescue" photo and video challenge.
Now through November 11, pet owners can submit a photo or video and a true story about how their cat or dog has helped someone in need. A panel of judges will review applications and select 15 hero pets to move on as finalists for the GOOD community to vote on from December 2-9. 
The hero pet with the most votes from the GOOD community will receive a year's supply of Purina ONE brand petfood, a featured post on Good.is to share their pet's story and a US$5,000 donation made to the winner's choice of one of the following four pet service nonprofit organizations: Pet Partners, Support Dogs Inc., New Horizons Service Dogs Inc., or Working Dogs for Conservation.
"At Purina ONE, we're always striving to highlight the positive difference pets make in everyone's life," said Christina Schneider, assistant brand manager, Purina ONE. "Whether in small ways or in bigger ways, all cats and dogs are heroes to the people who love them. We look forward to seeing the inspiring stories that pet owners submit to the 'Hero Pets to the Rescue' Challenge."

Greenies Brand partners to provide grants for dental care for service dogs

The Greenies Brand has pledged a US$20,000 grant to support dental care for service dogs and will, through the remainder of October, encourage pet owners and bloggers online to spread news about pet oral health as a means to realize the full donation amount:

• Each new like on The Greenies Brand's Facebook page will activate a US$1 donation to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program
• Each tweet that uses #greeniesgives on Twitter will activate a US$1 donation to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program
• For every blog post written about the importance of pet oral health and how Greenies dental chews and treats help to keep pets healthy and happy, The Greenies Brand will donate US$100 to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program
Because dental health issues continue to be one of the leading health risks for pets, The Greenies Brand is partnering with the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) to provide grants that help fund the cost of vital dental care procedures for service dogs.
Through the Oral Care for Service Dogs program, board-certified veterinary dentists perform oral health procedures for registered service dogs that have displayed oral and dental diseases that can cause pain or discomfort, compromising the dogs' health and preventing them from performing their essential duties effectively.
"The Greenies Brand is proud to help provide dental care services for dogs that selflessly give so much for the individuals they serve," said Monica Glass, senior corporate affairs manager for The Nutro Company. "We hope the program will reinforce the importance of pet oral health to the entire pet community as we invite them to join the brand in its support."

Wenger Manufacturing launches new Facebook petfood processing blog

Wenger Manufacturing recently launched a new blog on Facebook, wengerpedia.com.
The extrusion processing technology company hopes the platform will educate, inspire and facilitate conversations to advance food and petfood processing around the world. Members will have access to information such as industry news, product developments, processing strategies, market insights, and featured trade shows, conferences and seminars. 

WATT launches Petfood Industry Community group on LinkedIn

The Petfood Industry Community group on LinkedIn is for petfood professionals involved in everything from packaging and marketing to manufacturing and ingredients. Network with petfood professionals from all over the world and stay up-to-date on the latest companion animal nutrition, research and trends. Have a production issue or nutrition question? Petfood Industry Community editors and experts will help you enhance your bottom line and help feed pets with the best ingredients and the safest methods.
This group is an extension of the Petfood Industry website and is designed to be a forum for research, discussion and exchanging ideas on the global petfood and treat market.
To keep the conversations going and to stay abreast of the latest news and research, we invite you to also join us on:
Facebook
Twitter

Pet owners, petfood banks supported by new Royal Canin Facebook challenge

Petfood maker Royal Canin and Banfield Charitable Trust are teaming up to support pet owner retention programs, as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that more than 2 million pets are surrendered annually to shelters by families that encounter hardships. The "40,000 Pounds in 40 Days" Facebook challenge runs through July 26.
For 40 consecutive days, Royal Canin will be sharing inspiring stories through Facebook posts of cats, dogs and their families who were the recipients of petfood assistance programs through Banfield Charitable Trust. For each "like" or "share" engagement on Royal Canin's or Banfield Charitable Trust's Facebook pages, Royal Canin will donate one pound of food, up to 40,000 pounds.
As part of the "40,000 Pounds in 40 Days" Facebook challenge and the ongoing partnership with Banfield Charitable Trust, two new food pantries will receive donations to help open their doors in the coming months:
•North Park Friendship Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, will make petfood available in their existing human food bank, supplied in part by donations from Royal Canin.
•The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, Kansas, USA, will open a petfood pantry to make support available on a permanent basis.

Opportunities in social media for petfood industry, new research shows

Despite recent increases in the popularity of social networking and digital marketing, almost half (47 percent) of pet owners believe that owning a pet is better for their social life than these social networking websites, according to new research from Mintel. But, the survey of pet owners found there are many opportunities in social media for the pet industry.
Mintel found that 16 percent of pet owners also said they are interested in using these new technologies to enhance relationships with their pets. One in 10 (12 percent) respondents say they use social media to learn about pet-related products and services, while 28 percent said they receive online or promotional discounts on their phones for pet-related products, and 17 percent said they would be interested in receiving promotions via smartphone.
"Whereas the pet shop owner used to be the prime touch point to find out how best to care for their pet, social media has become the new way for pet owners to explore and share experiences around their pet," said Gabi Lieberman, social media analyst at Mintel. "Further, as people take a more renewed interest in their own diets, we're seeing them pass along their own concerns about food ingredients, creating a market for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan petfoods."
"Millenial" pet owners are most engaged with pet-related technology, with 17 percent saying they have a pet-related app on their smartphone or tablet (9 percent of pet owners overall). Additionally, 27 percent of that generation would like to receive promotions and coupons for pet care products that can be redeemed via their phone, and one in four (26 percent) are interested in technologies and innovations that foster a stronger pet-owner relationship.
"Brands are becoming very creative with their social media campaigns, using gimmicks like dogs on skateboards, celebrity endorsements and online cat awards to attract the attention of pet owners. It's one of the few categories where brands aren't actually marketing to the end user, and they're tapping into something very personal for people, so they have to be creative, and social media really allows them to do that," Lieberman said.

Pet blog awards contest now accepting nominations

The fourth annual "Petties Awards" is now accepting nominations from the pet blogging community and their readers to recognize the best pet-related blogs of 2013.
Hosted by DogTime Media, the "Petties" is expected to exceed 2012's record of more than 20,000 nominations, and will accept nominations in 10 categories: Best Dog Blog, Best Cat Blog, Best Cause-Related Blog, Best Designed Blog, Best Individual Blog Post, Best Active-Living Blog, Funniest Blog or Blogger, Best Video Post, Best Pet Mobile Application and Best Overall Pet Blog.
The awards also give back to the animal community, allowing participants to choose a nonprofit animal shelter or rescue during the nomination process to receive a US$10,000 grant. The shelter with the most nominations will win the grant.
Nominations for the 2013 DogTime Pet Blog awards close June 28. The four bloggers with the most nominations in each category will be chosen as finalists. Voting for the finalists opens July 5 and closes July 31. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony in September. Each winning blogger will be awarded a US$1,000 donation to the animal shelter of their choice, along with a custom "Petties" award trophy, a "Petties Winner" badge for their blog site, a package of editorial coverage across the DogTime Media Network, and other social media traffic-driving opportunities.

PetSafe names 15 US cities as finalists in 'Bark for Your Park' contest

PetSafe announced 15 cities across the US that will move on to compete as finalists in the "Bark for Your Park" contest with a chance to win US$100,000 or US$25,000 to build a local dog park.
For the third year in a row, pet lovers across the US demonstrated their desire for off-leash dog parks in their communities, nominating 1,130 cities to compete to win a share of US$200,000 in funding for local dog parks through the PetSafe contest.
"We are overwhelmed again by the enthusiasm for 'Bark for Your Park,' and we'd like to see every community in America enjoy a dog park," said Randy Boyd, president and CEO of Radio Systems Corporation, maker of the PetSafe brand. "That's why we're proud and excited to help five of our 15 finalist cities this year build their community dog parks. But, no matter the outcome of the contest, we hope all 1,130 cities will continue to 'bark' for their parks and rally the support needed to make their dog park dreams a reality."
The finalist communities will continue "barking" for their park by voting daily on www.petsafe.net and PetSafe's Facebook page now through July 26. Finalist cities are required to submit a 30-second video designed to show the world why they deserve to win a dog park, and each city whose video receives 1,000 views on YouTube will earn an additional 1,000 votes.
The finalist city with the most votes will be named the winner of a US$100,000 PetSafe dog park. The city with the highest percentage of votes to its population will receive the "Bark from Your Heart" award and earn US$25,000 toward building a local dog park. The top vote-earners in each size category of small, medium and large cities will also each receive US$25,000 toward building a PetSafe dog park. "Bark for Your Park" contest winners will be announced on July 31. 

Small Pet Select launches Timothy Hay promotion for rabbit owners

Small Pet Select recently launched a promotional campaign in which interested customers can get an "I LOVE MY RABBIT" sticker free with a Timothy Hay order from the company. 
The promotion will benefit the House Rabbit Society with 10 percent of each sale donated back to the organization. 
Since launching its Timothy Hay product at the end of summer 2012, Small Pet Select has grown to more than 47,000 Facebook fans. "The reason for our fast growth thus far is due to a strong focus on product quality and customer service," says co-founder William Gordon. 

Meow Mix contest to award free cat food to grand-prize winner

Meow Mix cat food brand is looking for cat owners to enter the “Meow for Mealtime” contest, in which pet owners can create their own version of the Meow Mix jingle with their cat for the chance to win US$10,000 plus a lifetime supply of Meow Mix cat food. 
Cat owners can enter the contest on the company’s Facebook page or website through June 9. Cat owners should upload a picture of their cat, select a background and pick a signing voice, letting cat owners produce a customized video and share it via social media. Winners will be chosen daily, and the grand-prize winner will be selected at the end of the promotion. 

Pedigree Feeding Project names two newest cities to receive free petfood

Pedigree petfood brand named Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, and Detroit/ Flint, Michigan, USA, as the newest communities to participate in the Pedigree Feeding Project – a program that supplies shelters with 100 percent of their core dog food needs at no cost.
Pedigree began the search for two new communities in January, asking dog lovers to visit the brand's Facebook page to nominate a community or shelter. Two winners were voted on among five finalists announced by Miranda Lambert in March. Along with Erie and Detroit/Flint, the Pedigree Feeding Project also feeds Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and Chicago, Illinois, USA.