Approximately 45% of nationwide households contain some sort of pet—that’s triple the amount of animal owners from the 1970s. Just this year alone, Americans are estimated to spend upwards of $60 billion dollars on their pets’ needs like food, vet care, grooming, boarding, toys and, of course the newest in pet tech. Items like GoPros for dogs, laser pointers for cats, and self-cleaning cages for birds are sweeping the pet industry, and who better to sell these products than the pets themselves. With celebrity pets like Boo the Pomeranian and Grumpy Cat making large fortunes as spokes-animals for even non-pet products, some of the 80 million dog- and 95 million cat-owners of the US are now also looking to cash in the trend.
Today Randi sat down with two guests who can help you, too, build your pet empire from the cat box up: Courtney Dasher, owner of the popular Chi-weenie taking over social media, Tuna, of the Tuna Melts My Heart brand and owner of animal marketing agency Paws PR, Patricia Jones.
“Chi-weenie is such a cute name. When the vet told me Tuna was a mix I just made it up.”
“I met Tuna at a farmer’s market in LA but he was originally rescued by a rescue group in San Diego.”
“He was being called Wormy because he would drop on his belly and worm around because he was so insecure—it was love at first sight.”
“When I first got Tuna he didn’t have his signature smile.”
“There are loads of dog and cat, and even bunny and pig, accounts now on IG but when I started there were hardly any.”
“When I created Tuna’s account in 2011 I had no intention to garner a large following”
“Tuna went viral in December 2012. My dad was encouraging me to start a product line at the time.”
“Overnight Tuna quadrupled in followers.”
“Tuna’s manager is one of my best friends. We dubbed her the Tuna-ger.”
“I thought I could accomplish being Tuna’s manager all on my own but it is not a one-person job.”
“I was approached by Penguin to create a book about the day and life of Tuna.”
“I decided I wanted to be like Wilson from ‘Home Improvement’ and for no one to know my identity.”
“Because we’ve gone viral, I’ve become Tuna’s voice so unfortunately I have to appear with him sometimes.”
“I always make sure that whatever brand approaches me is a good fit for Tuna.”
“I try to stay neutral and not be offensive or compromise my integrity.”
“I’m more apt to align with those brands that have a charitable component,.”
““Keeping up with his audience and with all of the emails is the biggest challenge because I try and respond to as many as I can. I take on so much that it has turned into full time for me.”
“I’m an interior designer but now I’m focusing on Tuna. His popularity is still growing and I’m riding this wave until it goes away.”
“Babies and pets are such a great distraction from our days. It reminds us of our innocence.”
“I use my platform to bring people joy. My authenticity and consistency is key to making the audience grow.”
“The quality of photos is really important.”
“I use AfterLight everyday to adjust the lighting and make photos crisper.”
“I love BarkCam. I use it to add cute comments. It’s great for photo shoots with Tuna.”
“People love their pets and will do anything for them.”
“I love tech for pets because it makes a difference in the lives of animals.”
“The Petzi Treat Cam helps pets associate their owners with certain sounds.”
“Anything that can help project a positive image of cats, I like.”
“Social media is critical. I’m seeing a lot more clients investing more in social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the top three.”
“Meow Quarterly is an online publication that features internet famous cats.”
“I’ve always loved animals and wanted to be a vet but I made the transition from news to publicity.”
“I made the decision to go out on my own and make the world a better place for animals.”
“Social media is a huge part of my business.”
“I’m working with Jackson Galaxy, the Cat Daddy, on his book ‘Cat-ify to Satisfy’ to make your home cat-friendly.”
“I love the emphasis on health and well-being for pets. Like FitBits for pets.”
“Some of these pet fitness trackers send the info directly to your vet.”
“There are so many apps and gadgets that allow you to communicate with your pet when not home. People will drop hundreds of dollars for this.”
“Apps can help you track your pet’s medical records or control how they get in and out of the home.”
“The pet industry is booming.”
“You better love what you do. Owning a business is 24/7 work hours.”
“Have a plan, do market research, look into what the trends are.”
“If you’re not investing in marketing, you’re losing already.”
“I’m on the board of directors for Photographers for Animals to inspire change for animals.”
“I’m all about shelter pets.”
“If I’m having a horrible day I’ll go on Instagram and look at cute pictures of animals to bring a smile to my face. “
“Animals bring happiness, joy and serenity.”
“Authenticity is really important. You need to create something unique and different. Make sure the animal has a voice and brings a message.”
“My favorite app is ResQWalk.”
“Best Friends Animal Society is a brand I really look up to.”
From caller GWEN: “Hats with Headlights from Etsy are great for when I walk the dog at night.”
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