PET Food Processing - December 2020 - 10

TRENDS

Hearts, minds and COVID

" Ideally, a
brand-loyal
customer
becomes a
brand advocate. "
Anne Carlson, Jiminy's

Anne Carlson, founder and chief executive officer, Jiminy's, Berkeley, Calif., likened pet food brand loyalty to that of baby
products: " It's super emotional, " she said.
" However, your end consumer can't
really tell you what they think. Feedback
is filtered through a concerned mom or
dad. Due to that dynamic, some of the
tactics that you might use in another
category don't necessarily work here. For
instance, gathering customer feedback is
tricky. But other tactics, like telling customer stories, really resonate. We have
embraced the stories, along with the
great images that our customers share
with us, as a way to build a community
that loves the brand. "
Jiminy's foods and treats use crickets
as a sustainable protein source - an ingredient still novel to many consumers.
For that reason, Carlson said the company has made education a core component of its marketing strategy. The idea is
to turn newbies into converts into loyalists, and she said it's working.
" We listened to the questions that customers had and created online modules
to address key topic areas, " she said. " We
use SEO [search engine optimization]
to help customers find our content and
social media to connect with consumers and encourage a dialogue. There is
definitely more engagement online. We
get more comments on social posts than
ever before, and sometimes the customers are talking to each other on our posts.
Often, we will poke in with a comment
but then stand back and let them discuss
amongst themselves. "
Heather Govea, chief commercial officer, Alphia, Bern, Kan., a super-premium
pet food and treat co-manufacturing
business, also pointed to the heart-andhead factor.
" Super-premium pet food used to only
be about the label, but now it's about the
label and an engaging experience, " she
said. " It has to go beyond the limited task
of putting food in a bowl and be able to
Emotions factor strongly into brand loyalty,
particularly in the pet food and treat market.
Jiminy's

10

PET FOOD PROCESSING | December 2020 | www.petfoodprocessing.net

evoke feelings of love and care for the pet. "
Alphia doesn't market a brand of its
own. The company, formed this year following the merger of C.J. Foods, Inc. and
American Nutrition, Inc., instead seeks
to make food and treats for its industry
customers of a quality that can command
customer loyalty. To convey the quality
message all the way to the end consumer,
Govea said, the company incorporates the
Pet Food Institute and other pet industry
associations' messaging on social media
and other communication channels. She
pointed out that Alphia's board chair, Tod
Morgan, is also chair of the board for Pet
Food Institute.
Govea echoed Tomala's skepticism on
whether 2020 has splintered loyalty.
" We all know the pandemic has
changed how pet parents are purchasing
products, with more people relying on
online purchases, " she said. " There also
has been a short-term shift, due to the
shutdown, to more brand loyalty already
in a customer's consideration set. We don't
know if that's a short- or long-term issue. "
Carlson said consumer comments and
questions have picked up over the past
nine months.
" Some of it is probably COVIDrelated, but we also think we've gotten
better at reaching our target, " she said.
" We're so curious to see if this level of
engagement will continue as things get
back to normal. "
Tomala said brand positioning must
be communicated to a target market
in both an emotionally and rationally
appealing way.
" If you win their hearts and minds,
you win their pocketbooks, someone
once said, " he shared.

Old school and new
Meg Meyer, co-founder (with her husband, Matt Meyer) and president of
Colorado-based The Bear & the Rat:
Cool Treats for Dogs, still values oldfashioned phone time as a loyalty builder.
" Matt answers the phone when we
receive a complaint or negative experience, " she said.
Meg's the one who handles social me-


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PET Food Processing - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - December 2020

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