Pet brands score big with major sports partnerships

Pet industry players are actively partnering with sports teams and athletes to capitalize on marketing and advertising opportunities. GlobalPETS rounds up the most recent collaborations.

Whisker

The Michigan-based tech-enabled litter box manufacturer has recently announced a strategic marketing partnership with the American football clubs the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings.

As the ‘official litter box’ partner, Whisker will benefit from extensive marketing exposure across stadiums and digital and broadcast platforms through this multi-year collaboration with these prominent ‘big cat’ teams.

At present, investment firm Pondera Holdings is looking to sell its controlling stake in Whisker for $1 billion (€924.9M).

Butternut Box

UK-based fresh dog food subscription company Butternut Box is now an official partner of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), becoming the first dog food brand to sponsor British tennis. This sponsorship provides Butternut Box with on-court branding and advertising opportunities at major UK tournaments such as Queen’s, the Rothesay Nottingham Open, Rothesay Classic Birmingham and Rothesay International Eastbourne.

The partnership also supports the environmental sustainability goals of both organizations.

“We hope this partnership will support a more sustainable future for British tennis whilst also enabling us to reach more pet parents to spread the word about the benefits of fresh nutrition for dogs,” comments David Nolan, Co-founder of Butternut Box.

Perfect Pet Insurance

British pet insurance provider Perfect Pet is sponsoring UK-based Stevenage Football Club for the 2024-2025 season as its “Official Back of Shorts” partner. The company’s logo will be displayed on the back of both the men’s and women’s home and away shorts throughout the season.

Perfect Pet will also collaborate with Stevenage FC to create “bespoke offerings” for the club’s staff, supporters and partners.

“An exciting new partnership with a successful national brand is always good for the club,” says David Hoskins, Head of Commercial at Stevenage FC. “We’re very much looking forward to working with Perfect Pet Insurance over the coming season and hopefully beyond.”

Nulo

A few months ago, pet nutrition brand Nulo partnered with Olympic athletes Simone Biles, Caeleb Dressel, Regan Smith, Gabby Thomas and Ryan Crouser for its “Fuel Incredible” campaign.

The campaign features creatives showcasing the bond between athletes and their pets, distributed across digital, social and cable networks and in Olympic Trial cities. Concluding in September, the campaign highlights the athleticism of the pets associated with these sports stars.