Since the first commercial pet food, a dry dog biscuit was developed on the early 1860s by James Spralt, of Cincinnati Ohio (Report of Feb, 1997). Like other high volume commercial products today, the marketing of dog food developed from the Production Orientation to Marketing Orientation period in hundred years. From 1860 to 1945, the marketing management philosophies of dog food focused on the Production Orientation. Consumers could only purchase low quality dog food and supplies from the pet store.
However, after World War II, the market expanded sharply. In the 1960s, dog food products became closer to their present forms (Report Aug15, 2001). Since the 1970s, new technology has spawned new ingredients from dry foods to semi-moist, new textures and nutrients for pet foods. This is a sign that the market was developed into the Marketing Orientation. .
During the same time, more and more business became aware of the concept of Market Segmentation including the pet food industry. Dog food companies target the consumers from who purchased the general products to who consumed the specific requirements of dog foods. In recent years, the Positioning of most dog food companies transferred from supplying the fundamental products to the premium and super premium quality items. In addition, the dominant marketing trend in the pet food is the industrial consolidation.
MARKETING STRATEGY ANALYSIS.
Target Market Analysis.
Market segmentation: Successful dog food companies choose the Multi-segment Targeting Strategy. They use a variety of bases for positioning, such as Price, Quality and product class e.g wet dog food vs. dry. They mainly Segment consumer markets by Demographic segmentation. For example, the typical purchasers of pet food tend to be above-average in income, middle-aged, white, and to have children living in the household, particularly children age 6 or over. Accord In the recent years, as the positioning of pet foods transferred from the fundamental products to the premium and super premium quality items, the dominant marketing trend in the pet food is consolidation.
