Good for me, good for my pet – when the bowl mirrors the plate

From food to pet food

Pet parents are increasingly demanding about the goods they select for their ‘fur-babies’, expecting the same high standards as for their own products and carefully choosing items that are consistent with their values and habits.

This has led the marketing teams of Diana Pet Food and parent company Symrise to work together to investigate the trends influencing both the human and pet food and care markets. Their findings? Four common macro trends:

1. Natural goodness

The move toward natural and organic food, though not recent, has accelerated with connected millennials and Gen Z who pay particular attention to food labels when purchasing a product. Natural food stands for conscious indulgence. Not only do people look for clean labels with healthy and high-quality ingredients; they also study their provenance and processing methods. They do not want to make any compromise on taste and want to try the best of nature’s goodness, exploring new ingredients sources.

This has led pet food manufacturers to substantiate their positioning with visible and tangible proofs on their packaging. They show their product’s certifications, use ‘made in’, ‘farm-to-bag’ stamps or any claim that can support a product’s local sourcing and production, to reinforce transparency and trust. They promote their choice of eco-friendly ingredients and endorsement to animal welfare to show their sustainability approach.

To offer the best of nature and bring variety, pet food manufacturers also seek ingredients not commonly used in pet food such as vegetables and fruits, echoing pet owners’ own interest in healthy ingredients and vegetarian or vegan diets.

Lastly, in addition to simplifying their recipes as much as possible, they showcase any processing method such as freeze-dried or oven-baked, that guarantees preservation of the precious nutrients.

2. Healthy lifestyle

Health concerns are paramount among pet parents who project their own beliefs onto their pets. Maintaining optimal health and well-being for their pets is a top priority. To meet those expectations, pet food manufacturers are offering three main categories of products:

• ‘free-from’ ingredients recipes to protect the pet from food intolerances and allergies
• ‘power foods’ high in proteins and wholesome ingredients to boost the pet’s energy
• foods rich in functional ingredients, or super foods, to bring health improvements or prevent diseases

3. Premium indulgence

Enjoying good food is among the greatest pleasures for pet parents who want to treat pets to gourmet offerings. This is probably where products answering this trend will most mimic the marketing codes of human food categories: small batch or artisanal products will be sold in refined packaging, telling a story and showcasing fancy little details. Delectable delights available to pamper the pet will include new textures and humanised offerings such as ice cream, pizza or beer. Lastly, pet parents will have the possibility of adding a customised touch to their pet’s meal with a selection of toppings.

4. Emotional discoveries

Pet parents love to break their own routines, and they enjoy doing so for their four-legged companions as well. From the discovery of new tastes from around the world to festive recipes, they are keen to find products celebrating their pets and offering shared moments of enjoyment.

And it goes beyond food: to celebrate a beloved puppy’s first year, for instance, pet parents will have birthday cakes and party favours to create the perfect photogenic setup. Those fun times are treasured and shared on social networks and ‘pet-centric’ platforms, turning pets into influencers and replicating all codes of digital marketing.

The evolution of pet importance to their people has definitely broadened pet care offerings and opened to marketers a whole world of inspiration from human trends.