Global Pet Foods is a Canadian retail chain offering holistic, nutritious foods for pets. It has stores in all regions of Canada. Our agency has been the Agency of Record for this growing Canadian Brand for over 12 years. From the outset Q&B worked with the client to establish a marketing growth strategy. We recommended that several regular promotions should be established each year each year at specific points in time, usually related to traditionally slow sales periods. Although the chain was growing, its marketing initiatives were not achieving sales objectives.

Marketing had been aimed at the general population of pet owners, without enough consideration as to who was most likely to respond to Global’s brand promise. That promise was unique in the pet market as the industry relied on bulk sales and price deals to move product. Other larger well known competitors were outgunning Global in media. If Global’s brand was to succeed and attract the higher prices it demanded, then it needed to find the audience that would embrace its brand promise. We classified this group as Pet Parents. The emotional attachment of Pet Parents to their pets is very strong. During research they expressed the feelings about them the way most parents expressed their feelings about their children.

A series of brand ads were created to run in pet publications. These ads illustrate that Global understands the strong connection between pet parents and their pets, while showcasing what the company offers. As a key tactic, promotions have been used to help establish brand but also to drive customers to the stores to enter contests/promotions.

An annual charitable promotion was created to help position the pet food retailer as the chain that cares about pets. In “Show Us Your Heart,” Q&B recommended that Global enable each store to give back to pet shelters within their own community. Television was added to the marketing mix in order to support this important promotional initiative. “Show Us Your Heart” continues to reach new fund raising levels each year and is now ensconced as an annual event.

Global Pet Foods has grown same store sales by as much as 15% during slow periods (where they did not host a promotion previously) and is bettering previous year contesting results by 20% (adjusted for store and market growth). The use of close market profiling and recognition of the Pet Parent audience has led Global to follow a new and rewarding communications strategy. Global has grown its database from zero to over 20,000, its Facebook fan base to over 40,000 and has more than doubled the number of stores in its chain from 70 to 170 in five years. The SUYH Valentine’s Day promotion now kicks off Global’s promotions in the first quarter of every year. The other three quarterly promotions each year make provide different offerings, promoted by flyers, in store advertising and local radio. Each quarterly promotion is designed to stay true to the brand.