Modern marketing channels have opened the world of consumer engagement in ways that would never have been possible even 10 years ago, and as a result it can be both heartening and daunting to connect with your audience. Add to that the fact that marketing a product in the pet food world means addressing a crowded market with multiple segments and angles to address, and it’s no wonder companies are looking for unique ways to stand out and catch the eye of a potential customer — or strengthen the loyalty of an existing one.
“Over the last 10 or 15 years, social media has started to become a real force in marketing,” said Jennifer Silverberg, CEO at SmartCommerce, which provides next-generation e-commerce tools in the CPG e-commerce space. “And consumers talking to each other has started to be as important a place to learn about products, particularly for things like pet, as ads and anything a retailer's doing. So we've seen the shift to where suddenly people are starting to become the most likely place for somebody to discover a new product, rather than the retailer or the retailer network or an ad, which is a really interesting new opportunity for the brands to [decide they] want to be a part of that conversation.”
