CHEWY

Advertising Strategies Across Different Channels

Website

• On Chewy's website, they showcase their customer favorites, the different brands they stock, educational videos about feeding dogs and ongoing offers. Some of the taglines they use include "2,000+ Brands in Stock!", "Pets Make The Best Valentine" and "Dental Health + Fresh Breath = Sweeter Smooches."

 

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• The dominant color on their website is blue, and their website is product-oriented, as they mostly showcase the different products they offer. Their general tone on the website is friendly and relatable. 

Social Media

• Chewy has a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, a Twitter page and an Instagram page. 
• On their Facebook page, they advertise their products that are specially made around certain holidays (for example, currently, they are showing different dog gifts for Valentine's Day) and other general products. They also engage their followers in question and answer sessions, share links to their educational content and highlight their TV features such as Puppy Bowl XVII. Some of the hashtags they use include #PetsBringUsTogether and #ChewyGameOn.
• On their YouTube channel, they share their TV advertisements, funny pet videos, DIY videos for preparing different meals for pets, their different products, question and answer sessions with veterinarians, and other educational videos. 
• On their Instagram page, they share pet quotes and motivational quotes, pet stories, interesting facts, funny videos, question and answer posts that engage their followers, and the rest of the content is similar to their Facebook content.
• Their content on Twitter is similar to their Facebook and Instagram content.

TV

• Chewy highlights their range of products in their TV spots. One of the recent taglines that they have used is "New Pet: All the Moments", to show that they have a wide range of products that can cater for a pet's different needs.

• Their TV spots are mostly family oriented, as they show different types of families with their pets. They are also "upbeat, brief and colorful", featuring images of happy pets and many testimonials.

 

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Digital

• In their digital advertising, Chewy mostly focuses on the offers that they have on different products, the savings they facilitate, charitable endeavors that their customers get to be part of, and highlighting different holidays. They feature a picture of a pet in most of their digital advertisements.

 

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Examples of good ads

• One good ad by Chewy, as highlighted by AdWeek, is one in which Chewy has been sharing the joy of having dogs during the corona virus pandemic, which is a bleak time. The TV spot has the tagline "Pets Bring Us Together" and it features different pet owners video calling each other and sharing the moments that they are enjoying with their pets during the pandemic.

 

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• Another remarkable Chewy ad, according to Big Eye Agency, is the one with the tag line: 'Talk in the Park: Chewy's Free Shipping'. It targets people who are usually overwhelmed and offers them convenience by highlighting that Chewy delivers products in a box to consumers' houses.

Examples of bad ads

• According to Reddit users, an example of a bad Chewy ad is one where they state "No one tells you what to expect when you get a dog." In this ad, a woman does not have anything for her new pet and she is wondering what to get for it. They say that it spreads the false notion that new pet owners know nothing about pets and they don't usually buy anything for them.

Value Proposition

• Chewy's main value proposition is the range of products that they have to offer, and the many brands that they stock. This is highlighted in their different TV spots such as 'Chow Time' and 'Stoop Struggles', among others. It is also highlighted on their website, using the tag line "2,000+ Brands in Stock!".
• All of their product marketing messages focus on one or more parts of their DTC value proposition which includes the boxing experience, easy delivery and cheaper products.

Positioning Strategy Description

• Chewy focuses on the convenience that they offer for their DTC strategy. They deliver food, chews, treats and toys directly to consumers' homes. They also build relationships with their customers that go beyond transactions, for example when they sent a customer flowers and a note when he lost his cat. According to Chewy, they are "working to become the largest pet retailer in the world with the most satisfied customers."

FARMER'S DOG

Advertising Strategies Across Different Channels

Website

• On the farmer’s Dog website, they highlight the fact that they provide healthy pet food. Some of the tag lines used include “Smarter, Healthier Pet Food”, “Real Food • Made Fresh • Delivered”, “You shouldn’t be the only one eating healthy” and “Rethinking Pet Food.”
• They also highlight reviews that have been given to them by major media outlets and sites such as Fast Company, CBS News and Vogue.
• Their website mostly contains pictures of pets as well as the products they sell, and the general tone used is very convincing, as they try to prove how healthy their dog food is. The dominant color is dark green. 

Social Media

• Farmer's Dog has a Facebook page and an Instagram page.
• On their Facebook page, they share their media features, dog quotes, historical facts related to dogs, customer photos, such as contests. links to their articles, and posts that engage their customers.
• On Instagram, they use the hashtag #longlivedogs, and the content is similar to their Facebook content.

TV

• Their TV spots feature real customers with their dogs, and what they have been able to achieve by using Farmer's Dog products. They also show that dogs still consider their food tasty even if it is healthy, and emphasize that their food is "real." 

 

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Digital

• In their digital ads, Farmer's Dog emphasizes that their food is "fresh", "real" and "healthy." These ads feature either pictures of dogs or their dog food. Their brand colors are also heavily featured, and their main value proposition is communicated in short but effective sentences.

 

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Examples of good ads

• In their Facebook Ads, Farmer’s Dog used fast-paced videos with text overlays featuring various sizes and breeds of dogs eating their food. They used the tag line “Feed dogs food, not burnt brown balls,” a "Shop now" button that sent users to their website, and offered a 50% off trial. They used a consolidated ad set and targeted broader audiences in the US.
• With these ads, they were able to grow their purchases by 57%, increase their purchases per ad set by 90%, and decrease their cost per purchase by 5% between September 5th to October 2nd 2019, as compared to the prior month.

Examples of bad ads

• According to comments on the Reddit forum 'CommercialsIHate', the 'Tyene' TV spot by Farmer's Dog is bad because the dog owner mentions that his dog has "high quality poops" ever since he started using the brand's products. The complaints state that it is not clear what kind of poop is considered high quality, and how the dog owner came to this conclusion. 
• Another ad that is considered bad is the TV spot, 'The Sound of Real Food' because it features loud sounds of dogs eating food, and this is considered disgusting, according to Adweek and Lipstick Alley.

Value Proposition

• The brand's main value proposition is that their food is healthy, fresh and real. This is highlighted in their various TV spots such as 'Developed With Vets: 50%.' It is also highlighted on their website using various taglines such as “Smarter, Healthier Pet Food” and “You shouldn’t be the only one eating healthy”.

Positioning Strategy Description

• Farmer's Dog positions itself against its competitors in the market by emphasizing on the fact that it provides real food, as opposed to burnt brown balls, which is the common form of dog food. Their food is tested on humans, and is cooked just a few days before delivery, rather than being deep-frozen or stored on shelves for long periods of time as is the case with most types of dog food.
• Some of the comparisons they give include:
• While other dog foods are "really artificial", theirs is "really beneficial." 
• Other foods are "had to dye it"; theirs is "healthy diet."
• Other foods are "labeled turkey"; theirs is "actual turkey."
• Other foods are "safe for profits"; theirs is "safe for eating."
• Other foods have "shelf life"; theirs promotes "long life." 

JINX

Advertising Strategies Across Different Channels

Website

• Jinx's website has the tagline "It's time for kibble to come clean". On their website, they showcase their products together with the ingredients used.
• They emphasize on the fact that their products are highly nutritious and contain natural ingredients. Some of the taglines they use include "Real Animal Protein", "Functional Superfoods", "Patented Probiotics", "All Natural Ingredients" and "Made for Modern Dogs". In talking about some of the benefits of their product to dogs, they use the tagline "Longer Lifespans".
• Their website also features reviews from reputable magazines like Pop Sugar, Apartment Therapy and US Weekly, on how great their products are. Moreover, it shows some of the harmful ingredients that are not found in their products and great things dog owners are saying about their products.
• The dominant color on their website is green, and the dominant theme is the nutritional value of their products. The general tone on their website is convincing, as they try their best to show that their products are nutritious.

Social Media

• Jinx has a Facebook page, a Twitter page and Instagram page.
• On their Facebook page, they advertise their products that are specially made around certain holidays (for example, National Peanut Butter day) and dog outfit inspiration. They also engage their followers in challenges and giveaways.
• On their Twitter page, Jinx shares some of their media features from reputable media houses, new product launches, partnerships, funny pet quotes, short pet videos, and surveys for new dog formulas.
• On their Instagram page, they share DIY videos, offers on dog products, giveaways, videos to help dog owners with their dogs, outfit inspiration for dogs, and cute dog pictures, sometimes with Jinx products.

Other Channels

• Like actual pet owners, Jinx talks to the dog directly, making them the first-ever brand to do "Direct-to-Dog" marketing via various marketing networks.
• Jinx sells its dog products via on-demand delivery service Postmates and also launched a marketing campaign with Overheard, that brought witty dog quotes to billboards across Los Angeles. Some witty quotes included “If you’re single in LA and don’t have a dog or do yoga that what the f&*k are you even doing?”
• Jinx worked with a fitness class company Barry’s Bootcamp on a digital campaign primarily focused on how dog owners can incorporate their dogs into home workout routines.

Value Proposition

• Jinx is inspired by a contemporary approach on modern day nutrition that will help dogs sustain a healthy, and advanced lifestyles. They also use tag lines like "Better nutrition, all natural ingredients, flexible delivery, and a whole lot of love." to further show the value they promise to deliver.

Positioning strategy description

• Jinx positions itself as a "direct-to-consumer pet wellness brand for modern doghood" which aims to address the way dogs should eat. Jinx believes that dogs should have healthy lifestyles and eat nutritionally comprehensive food.

OLLIE

Advertising Strategies Across Different Channels

Website

• Ollie's website uses the tag lines "Dog food for the long run", "Quality ingredients", "Nutritionally balanced and complete", and "Delivered fresh" to describe their products. It helps dog owners (customers) create a customized meal plan designed for just their pup after taking a quick quiz.
• They highlight the ingredients used in their dog food, and offer a money-back guarantee. They also feature reviews from reputable magazines like Reader's digest, Pet Life Today, K9 of mine and Forbes; and show what pet owners are saying about their products under the tagline "What our pups are saying".
• The dominant color on their website is orange, and they mostly talk about the nutritional value of their dog food. Their general tone on the website is convincing.

 

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Social Media

• Ollie has a Facebook page, a Twitter page, an Instagram page, a YouTube channel and a Pinterest Page.
• On their Facebook page, they share dog wellness tips, important information such as shipping delays, CSRs geared towards animal welfare and education, cute dog pictures, pet quotes, new product launches, virtual dog meet ups, and pet videos.
• Their content on Twitter and Instagram is similar to their Facebook content.
• On their Pinterest page, they pin pictures on fun activities to do with your dog, holiday ideas for pups, helpful dog advice and healthy dog treats.
• On their YouTube channel, they share their advertisements, offers, new products, DIY videos for meals and dog outfits, and general educational videos.

Digital

• In their digital advertising, Ollie mostly focuses on their value proposition and the offers that they provide. They feature a picture of a pet and their boxes in most of their digital advertisements. Their main brand colors are also featured.
• Ollie also uses clean images, simple explanations and words in digital advertisements. They use the tagline "Human-Grade Ingredients. Tailored Recipes. Delivered To Your Door"

 

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Examples of good ads

• One good ad by Ollie as highlighted by Pathmatics, is a Facebook ad by Ollie. The ads are "colorful, well-designed, and feature high-quality candids of pups of all sizes". It focuses around how Ollie ships dog food for free, provides contact-free drop off and hyper-customizes dog's food based on their age, breed, and weight.

 

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• According to Trapica Insights, another effective advertising technique by Ollie is their testimonials on social media and their introductive special offers.

Value Proposition

• Ollie's main value proposition is that they offer fresh food that contains real ingredients. This is supported by the following tag lines on their website and in their digital advertisements; "Real food with nothing to hide" and "Human-Grade Ingredients. Tailored Recipes. Delivered To Your Door"

Positioning strategy description

• Ollie positions itself as an innovative pet wellness brand that is changing the dog food industry by providing a healthier, easier way for pet owners to feel better about what they feed their dogs.
• The pet food industry is generally not transparent about the ingredients used in their products. They focus mostly on packaging and commercials. Ollie, on the other hand, is very transparent about the ingredients used and their dog food is actually safe for humans to eat and this makes them more trustworthy than most dog food brands.

Research Strategy