Choosing between traditional and social media ads: what US pet parents say

A recent survey from pet and animal health marketing firm FWV Fetching of 1,493 US pet owners found that 40% use traditional advertising channels— print, radio or television—to discover information about pet products and brands.

After traditional channels, review sites (29%) and digital advertising (24%) are the following 2 popular advertising channels. 

Only 1 in 5 pet parents discover pet products and brands through human and social media influencers. Furthermore, 14% attested to not using any marketing channels for product discovery.

Almost half (46%) of residents in the northeast prefer traditional ad channels, while digital advertising was most popular in the south of the country (26%). Pet influencer advertisements experience more popularity in the south and west territories (21% each).

Age groups

According to FWV Fetching, traditional advertising is preferred by pet parents aged 45–54 (46%) and least by the 18–34 age group (36%).

Digital advertising, including ads on websites and mobile apps, is the most popular channel among the younger generations—18–34 (33%) and 35–44 years (30%)—which is more than double the figure of the 65+ group (12%).

While 37% of those aged 18–34 use pet social media influencers to discover a brand or a product, the figure drops to 20% for pet parents aged 35–44.

Unsponsored or paid news stories about pet products and brands have the highest impact on pet owners aged 65 and above (24%).

Household income

Households with earnings between $50,000–$74,900 (€46,000–€68,800) mostly discover pet products and brands through traditional media.

Traditional advertising sees the lowest popularity among households earning between $75,000–$99,900 (€69,000–€91,800). This section, however, has the highest preference for digital advertising (34%).

Official product or company pages and non-sponsored news stories are most popular in the $100,000 (€94,700) and above income bracket.