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> BRANDED
any dry grocery category in Irish supermarkets, according to products themselves but to the whole marketing story around them.
research firm TNS. “We premiumise everything we do — from our advertising to our
“People are more inclined to treat their animals now, for all sorts packaging and our products — to make sure we’re adding more
of reasons, and one of the things they do is feed them manufactured value to what the consumer expects and wants to see,” says
treats. In the past couple of years, we have focused more on func- Looney. The ‘premium’ aspect also extends to pricing: on average,
tional treats [ie those that have specific health benefits],” says Conor Pedigree is 10-20pc more expensive than mainstream competing
Looney, marketing manager for petcare at Mars Ireland. brands and significantly more expensive than own-label lines.
Products that fall into this category include Pedigree Dentastix, The premiumisation trend is most clearly seen in the make-up of
which helps clean the dog’s teeth and reduce plaque, and Pedigree the products themselves, For example, Mars Ireland earlier this year
Joint Care, a beef-flavoured treat containing omega 3, glucosamine launched a new Pedigree product called ‘Better by Nature’, which
and other ingredients that are more commonly found in products as the name implies is a natural product without any artificial
aimed at alleviating joint stiffness in humans. ingredients.
Mimicking the trend in other consumer categories, the marketing More generally, the use of phrases such as ‘balanced nutrition
’
of petcare products has become increasingly sophisticated in recent and total enjoyment in every bowl’ and ‘irresistible flavour and
years. The growth in the economy and changes in consumer habits aroma’ are increasingly used to describe Pedigree offerings. In fact,
have been reflected in the brands in the marketplace. For example, such is the blurring of language between pet food and human food
with people leading busier lives and convenience therefore becom- that, were it not for pictures of adorable mutts on the product pack,
ing a key trend, Pedigree has been launched in a single-use pouch consumers could be duped into believing they were buying a tasty
version that allows the owner to feed their dog without having to put meal for their own dinner, rather than their dog’s!
the opened tin back in the fridge or cupboard. For the same reason, At Waltham Centre, Mars’ global petcare nutrition research facil-
dry food has become more popular so that dogs can feed when ity in Leicestershire, UK, a large team of nutritionists and even pet
their owners are not at home. psychologists tests Mars’ own and rivals’ pet food on animals to
“Convenience is a major driver, and a lot of what we do is focused ascertain characteristics such as palatability and digestibility. The
on delivering more convenient offerings within our portfolio,” results of these tests are then used to develop new products
says Looney. and recipes.
Like any dominant brand, the biggest challenge facing Pedigree is
Top dog
the fact it has so much to lose. The brand is worth approximately
Another notable trend, again strongly linked to affluence, is the
€35m in Ireland, and leaking even 5pc or 10pc share to a competi-
growing ‘premiumisation’ of branding. This not only relates to the
tor would wipe millions off the top line. Competitors in the Irish
‘Being one of the most successful Pedigree markets anywhere, we
have a big part to play in terms of European copy developed. So we
might be small in size but we punch above our weight
36 Marketing Age May/June ‘08
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