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We’re pumped to introduce our new on-demand Social Intelligence Reporting Service, designed to help you understand dog owners like never before!

By leveraging AI, we analyze qualitative data shared across social platforms to uncover rich insights into audience behaviors and sentiment towards products, brand, topics, etc.

With this timely data, you’ll unlock actionable business insights that empower you to make informed decisions and identify key themes around dog owner’s beliefs, purchase behaviors, and emotional motives.

You can now learn what exactly drives the most successful content—resulting in millions of views, brand affinity, and ultimately sales.

Discover what truly resonates with your audience and elevate your marketing strategy today!

Gain access to a FREE report about why a grooming kit was able to generate $1.4M in sales in just 90 days through TikTok.

THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• 🍦 $5M in sales for dog ice cream

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Georgia’s members-only dog park rakes in $20K before opening

• 🤳 UGC + dogs the perfect combo

 🍦 $5M IN SALES FOR DOG ICE CREAM

Success doesn't always happen overnight.

In the Bear and the Rat's case, it started when founder Matt Meyer was 8 years old.

His family had a weekly tradition to go get ice cream, which included a small scoop for their mini poodle Babette.

Babette loved the treat, but invariably her stomach would not, and Matt's dad would have to clean up the mess.

This planted the idea in Matt's head of an ice cream made for dogs.

Matt ran his idea by friends over the years, who as great friends do, told him it was the dumbest idea they had ever heard.

That was until Matt met his future wife Meg, who he told the idea to on their honeymoon and pushed him to make it a reality (the name comes from the nicknames of their two dogs).

From idea to business

Now at the time the business launched in 2010, there wasn't much to suggest dog ice cream was a viable idea.

People hadn't yet started to treat their dogs as members of the family, and we can see that online interest was mostly stable:

This didn't deter Matt and Meg who started hand making batches of ice cream with non-fat yogurt, and avoid ingredients like corn, wheat gluten, soy and artificial flavors.

Initially they sold at parks and other outdoor venues direct to owners.

But they knew they had to get to a bigger audience, and with a great story and name, who better than Shark Tank?

In 2012 they were able to secure a spot on season 4 of the show.

They came on asking for a $125k investment for 20%, which implies a valuation of $625k.

The problem is that at that point they only had $30k in sales. So they were asking for a pretty ridiculous 21x multiple on sales!

They pointed to a potential partnership w/ Petco as part of their reasoning, but the sharks were pretty dubious.

Unsurprisingly the sharks all dropped out.

Along with the valuation issue the sharks also were concerned about the size of the market, the lack of freezer space in larger retailers, and the fact that at recent trade shows they had failed to get any orders (not to mention that the sharks all tasted the ice cream and didn't love it).

Ignoring the haters

Did Meg and Matt stop there?

Heck no. The exposure on the show drove a few more regional retailers to their doors, but they knew they needed to go national to really grow the brand.

Slowly they were able to build up their portfolio of independent retailers to over 3k.

In 2017 they reached the point where they could no longer hand pack their product, and almost went out of business trying to find a production facility to keep up with their growing demand.

They eventually were able to partner with a family owned ice cream manufacturer who invested in new equipment to take them on as a customer.

Then, in 2019 they had their first national breakthrough as they announced they would be in Whole Foods stores nationwide.

The (ice) cream rises to the top

By 2022 The Bear and the Rat had gone from a $30k revenue Shark Tank reject to riding the growing interest in dog ice cream to over $5m in sales.

They were able to launch additional product lines like cakes and toppers, and just this month announced they finally formed a partnership with Petco to be featured nationally in stores.

This just goes to show you that not all "bad" ideas are actually bad.

Perseverance is important if you want to grow a dog company, along with finding the right wave of consumer interest to ride.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 GEORGIA’S MEMBERS-ONLY DOG PARK RAKES IN $20K BEFORE OPENING

As convenience and exclusivity become increasingly valued, the concept of membership-only dog parks is on the rise.

Off Leash, a premium dog park in Alpharetta, Georgia, recently opened its doors and quickly sold out its 142 annual founding memberships at $142 each, netting an impressive $20,000 before its official launch.

This novel approach to pet recreation is reshaping how dog owners engage with their pets while raising important questions about accessibility and community dynamics.

Off Leash provides a thoughtfully designed environment where dogs can play freely, socialize, and exercise without the limitations of traditional public parks.

This exclusivity creates a “safe” space for pet owners looking for a more controlled and enjoyable experience for their furry friends.

By capping membership numbers, Off Leash maintains a lower dog-to-owner ratio, promoting safety and reducing stress for both dogs and their humans.

Such an atmosphere encourages connections among members, allowing them to bond over their shared passion for dog care and brunch.

Membership Offerings at Off Leash

Off Leash offers a variety of membership options. Here’s a breakdown of their offerings:

Annual Membership

• Price: $142

• Includes access for one dog

• Unlimited visits to the park

Additional Dog Membership

• Price: $50 per additional dog

• Allows members to bring more than one dog under the same membership

Monthly Membership

• Price: $20 per month

• Flexibility for those who may not want to commit to an annual plan

Family Membership

• Price: $220

• Includes access for up to two dogs from the same household

• Unlimited visits to the park

However, this model has its drawbacks.

Membership-only parks inherently create barriers to access, potentially excluding those who cannot afford the annual fee or who live in areas lacking similar facilities.

Detractors argue that such exclusivity undermines the communal spirit of pet ownership, which thrives in inclusive spaces where all dog owners can gather.

Additionally, the rise of private parks may lead to a decline in the maintenance and safety of public dog parks, as municipalities might deprioritize these spaces in favor of privately funded options.

In the end, Off Leash has quickly proven that these members-only dog parks have a healthy demand and the potential to thrive.

🤳 UGC + DOGS THE PERFECT COMBO

Being dog business nerds we've researched a ton of different companies and ideas over the years.

As we've done this, we've started to see some common strategies used by the most successful ones.

The one we wanted to share today that is especially ripe for dog businesses is a marketing technique called User Generated Content or UGC.

It's exactly what it sounds like, which is using content directly from your customers as marketing material.

It's got a ton of benefits.

It’s authentic, cost-effective, and builds a strong sense of community around your brand. And since dogs are so damn adorable, this industry is PERFECT for it.

A few examples

First off we have RunBuddy Mobile, a mobile dog gym in Phoenix.

This is not a huge business by any means, but they've managed to rack up 875k followers and 22.5m likes on Tik Tok by mostly posting videos of dogs running treadmills:

@runbuddy

I think Soy Sauce would get the gold medal in barking.. for sure #annoying #chocolatelab #runningfast #onthisday #mobiledoggym

Next up is Diamond Pet Foods.

They use an ambassador program called their Fan Family Program and contests that ask fans to send in their own Diamond Pet Foods-related content to build a portfolio filled with photos and videos that can be repurposed on their social media accounts.

All of the brand’s top 10 posts by engagement rate between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023 were UGC.

Also crushing it on Tik Tok is Spot & Tango who has used a variety of curated and user submitted content to amass 30k followers and 2.2m likes.

This example is them leveraging employees dogs for funny videos:

@spotandtango

Meet our smallest office dog: Dallas! 🐶🩵 1 Like = 1 Carry for Dallas #funnydog #funnydogs #funnydogvideos #funnydogsoftiktok #dogtok #offi... See more

The basics of getting started

If you don't currently lean into this strategy with your business, we think now is the time.

Social media is a perfect medium for UGC and many consumers prefer to see your product / service actually getting used than pretty ads or marketing.

Here's an oversimplified way to get started if you don't already:

1. 🔍 Identify Opportunities for content: Determine where UGC will have the most impact—whether it’s reviews, social media posts, videos, or testimonials. Consider what type of content your audience is already sharing.

2. 📣 Encourage Participation: Create calls-to-action that encourage users to share their experiences. This could be a branded hashtag campaign, a contest, or simply asking for feedback and reviews.

3. 📲 Leverage Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter to engage with your audience. Repost content on your channels, tag the creators, and show appreciation for their content. This recognition encourages more users to participate.

4. 📨 Create a Simple Submission Process: Make it easy for users to share content by providing clear guidelines. Create landing pages or use social media to gather submissions directly.

5. 🤑 Incentivize Contributions: Offer rewards like discounts, shout-outs, or exclusive access to encourage more UGC. Even small incentives can motivate users to participate.

6. 📏 Measure and Optimize: Track the performance of campaigns to see what works best. Use analytics to understand engagement and conversion rates, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Best of luck and may all your posts go viral!

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: BITCOIN

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

List of tickers used can be found at the very bottom of the newsletter.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

• 💨 Smallest dog in the pack wins: These group of dogs are blazing fast, and the smallest one in the pack cooks them all for about a minute straight!

• 🇿🇦 200 pugs at a rescue: The team over at Cuppa Pug visited a dedicated Pug Rescue in South Africa that runs an incredibly efficient operation to look after 200 pugs.

• 🥹 Renowned poet, Mary Oliver, reads an excerpt dedicated to her dog: Mary shares some beautiful words about the bond, love, and life she shared with her dog Percy.

• $CHWY - Chewy: E-commerce platform for pet supplies

• $IDXX - Idexx Labs: Vet point of care instruments and vet software

• $FRPT - Fresh Pet: Pet food company

• $PETQ - PetIQ: Pet health products and medicines

• $PETS - PetMeds: Online pet pharmacy

• $ZTS - Zoetis: World's largest producer of meds and vaccines for pets and livestock

• $TRUP - Trupanion: Pet insurance company

• $WOOF - Petco Health & Wellness co.: Pet health & wellness company

• $BARK - BarkBox: Subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences

• $PET - Wag! Group Co.: Tech platform that allows pet owners to connect with industry professionals for services such as, walking, training, etc.