Doggone Brands

 Shanita Akintonde:

Hi there, marketing maestros. This is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach, and marketing shero. I invite you to join me for another special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series. This one is entitled Doggone Bands.

(Singing). I think you get the point. So listen up. Since I had so much feline fun broadcasting my last podcast, I thought I would continue with this wagtastically fantastical podcast about dogs. Dog brands, as in, Doggone Brands. So let's get started.

Get ready for an energetic bark about the awesome brands, goods, and services that will make man's best friend, including many of you dear listeners, wag with joy. So grab your Doberman and prepare yourself for a doggy danke after you apply all of these wonderful tips that I'm about to share with you on another special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series, Doggone Brands.

In looking at this particular demographic, the doggy demographic, I decided to share with you some facts about why this is a growing market and as marketers, a reasonable opportunity for us to leverage it in creative ways. So while the exact number of dog owners can vary significantly depending on the country or region, it is estimated that there are hundreds of millions of dog owners worldwide. For us marketing maestros, dog owners represent a significant consumer segment with various opportunities to target them.

Here are a few reasons that I decided to focus on the doggy demographic for this podcast. In this episode, I am going to share with you 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, just like a paw, tips on the best brands that are for the top dogs in town. Hopefully, this podcast will bring happiness and not give you something to pick a bone about. One more thing before we get started, I want you to prepare yourselves because I invited my Shanita Speaks LLC office colleagues in for some bark sessions. What I mean is I convened my company team to give me their input on each product that I'm about to share with you on this list. These are going to be products, goods, and services that my team assembled based on their own experiences, and they all gave them four paws up. So here is hoping that you agree and let's go for it.

Paw Point number one, bartastic Toys by Kong. Now, you may have heard Kong in my previous podcast regarding cats, or as I referred to them, frisky felines, but apparently Kong is in the dog category as well. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Kong toys are the real deal for energetic pups. They're tough, durable, and perfect for playtime. These toys come in all shapes and sizes, from bouncy balls to puzzle toys that will challenge your Schnauzers' clever minds. Whether your Shih Tzu is a mighty chore or your Collie is a fetch fanatic, Kong is just the toy brand for them.

Paw Point number two, yummilicious treats from the Blue Buffalo. Treat time is the best time, and Blue Buffalo knows that better than anyone. They know how to make your Dachshund's tail wag like crazy. Their scrumptious treats are made with wholesome ingredients that will make your Dalmatian healthy and happy. From crunchy biscuits to meaty morsels, their treats come and a variety of flavors, again, that will make that doggies tail wag like crazy. Taste buds too will also do a happy dance. Holla.

Hope you're still tracking with me. This is Doggone Brands, and we are woo woo, woo woo, letting the dogs out. Okay, I'll stop that. I'll stop that. It's just fun to me. All right. Here's Paw Point number three, Nylabone. Chewtastic chews, AKA Nylabone. Nylabone is the chew champion. These chewy wonders are great for Chihuahuas that love to chew. They come in different textures and flavors, and they also keep your purine's teeth clean and strong. And that would be Pyrenees. Y'all forgive me. I am so excited on the woof woof part. Let me get the dog names correct. The Pyrenees teeth will be shiny and bright like new, just like you.

All right. Here is Paw Point number four. Chuckit! Fetch Frenzy Fun is what we're going to call this brand. Calling all fetch fanatics. Chuckit! is your Husky's ticket to high-flying fun, their bouncy balls and awesome launchers let humans throw the ball extra far, giving the owners the thrill of the chase. Then your Chow Chow can zoom and zip across the park, catching the ball with glee and being very, very, very, very happy. It's fetchtastic.

This is going so fast. I may have to do a part two of this one because here is Paw Point number five already. This one is called Furbo fur-iendly camera. Furbo is a brand that makes a special camera for dog owners. Oh, check this out. It lets you take a peek at your Poodle and talk to your Terrier, whether you're at home or away. You can even dispense treats with just a tap of your phone. It's like having a treat-filled video call your favorite pet while you are away. Isn't that something? That would warm my heart.

And those are my five tips. I just zipped through those. Like I said, I thought it was going to take me longer, but I guess in my excitement, that's what it turned out to be. Here is the final addendum to my podcast on Doggone Brands. The reason for me even choosing the demographic of dogs and in my previous podcast, cats, is because I'm recognizing that these are untapped opportunities to leverage even further than we currently do as marketers. So for those of you listening to this podcast, i.e. my marketing maestro family members, let me let you in on a little tip as it pertains to dogs.

While the exact number of dog owners can vary significantly depending on the country or region, it is estimated that there are hundreds of millions of dog owners worldwide. What that means for us is that there are hundreds of millions of opportunities for us to target this audience. Not the dogs, but the owners. Well shoot, maybe the dogs too. Regardless, they represent a significant consumer segment with various opportunities to target them. And so what I shared with you in my Paw Points in the podcast are some ways in which we can do that. But because this is such an exciting topic for me, and I hope for you as well, I will definitely be back with a part two so that I can provide you with additional Paw Points. But for now, you know what I'm about to say next. Go ahead and let those dogs out. Woo, woo, woo woo.

This is Shanita Baraka Akintonde, professor, author, career coach, and marketing shero, signing off. But I'm hopeful that with me sharing those points with you, that you feel good about what I had to say.

Until next time, which will be our best time, this is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach, and marketing shero, signing off. If you enjoy listening to these podcasts, be sure to subscribe on Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Play, and like them wherever you hear them. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Professor Shanita Akintonde, or follow me on Twitter @_shanitaspeaks.