The Pet Food War

The Smackey Dog Food, Inc. is a family owned business. It was started by three sisters, Sarah, Kim and Jillian, in the kitchen of their home. They lived in a suburban area of Chicago, Illinois. Their business is making all natural dog food. After using their own dogs and the neighbor’s dogs as test subjects, it was discovered by local vets, pet stores and grocery stores. These local places began to distribute the dog food. The demand for their food began to increase and they moved their business to a larger facility and hired additional workers. As compared to competitors, Smackey Dog Food, Inc., began to rise

Peyton Approved is a business that manufactures and distributes organic all-natural and hypo-allergenic baked treats for dogs. The company named after our dog (Peyton), was an idea that started at home after realizing the severity of his allergies from the products bought at the store; and what could be done to make all natural products that would not cause any more harm. What started as a home-based idea soon turned into a business after realizing that “Peyton” was not the

As this was Keller’s first audit on a dog Foods company, additional research was conducted to gain insight on some the most common risks that occur in the dog Foods industry. The audit team also went to visit the client prior to the audit to gain a clear understanding on how their business works. The audit team consisted of the audit manager Pete, and two audit staffers Maureen and Ben.

Smackey Dog Foods, Inc. is a familiar story in terms of small business start-ups. They started in a family kitchen, experienced explosive growth, and have had some troubles handling the accounting and business side of the business. My firm, Keller CPA’s, does not have specific experience with auditing a dog food manufacturer, but we certainly have a good bit of experience with similar small business accounting and auditing issues.

1.Opportunity to be the first to tap into the potentially vast market of frozen dog food in the Boston area

Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. proposes to adopt a market penetration strategy due to having identified a growth opportunity in the dog food market, for its nutritionally balanced, high quality dog food brand, Breeder’s Mix. This premium product has been sold traditionally, to the show dog kennel market, but company executives are now convinced it can be repackaged and offered as a frozen premium product, to picky pet owners via general retail distribution channels. Since the product is considered premium, it should fetch premium prices because of its ingredients and its claimed benefits to

There are three main categories of dog food: dry, canned and treats. In 2011 the sales of dog food totaled somewhere in the arena of 14 billion dollars. Endeavoring to bring new dog food to an already established market can be a “daunting” task, especially when that particular dog food is frozen. Breeder’s Own Pet Foods as a whole has realized how diverse the dog food market is; however, brokers within this conglomerate believe that the true organic potential of this marketplace has yet to be “tapped” into effectively. With an ever-changing push toward becoming

|Weaknesses: •   Lack of availability in all stores •   Lack of appeal to consumers due to thawing time / freezer space (convenience) •   Lack of appeal to supermarkets due freezer location •   Lack of brand equity in retail market •   Premium price | Threats: •   Store Location - Consumer must be educated to find product in different area of store •   Saturated market – sales top 14 million in 2011.   Dog food is also heavily advertised, so the challenge is to entice the consumer to buy Breeder’s Mix. •   Competition - 5 major brand name dog food companies dominate market with 75% of US dog food sales •   Challenge to get supermarkets to give up valuable freezer space for dog food |Evaluation of AlternativesBreeder’s Own Pet Foods product development strategy should be evaluated.   Currently only 1 out of 10 dog owners regularly buy frozen or refrigerated dog food and ¾ of those surveyed expressed no interest in purchasing frozen dog food (Kerin and Peterson, 2013).   This indicates that there is a limited market for dog owners who would be interested in a product such as Breeder’s Mix. Research does suggest however that frozen dog food dollar volume is increasing annually indicating there is a strong opportunity for Breeder’s Own to be the first to tap into the frozen dog food market in the Boston area.   Breeder’s Own Dog Foods needs a strong marketing campaign to convince consumers their brand is superior to

After careful review of each of the elements in launching this product, the following analysis can be determined. Zenith has to answer a specific series of questions in order to decide if their product of Show Circuit dog food will be a viable product. The market was in fact correctly segmented, although Zenith needs to see the shopping behavior of those willing to spend more on pet food. Marketing in a supermarket could inhibit the potential growth of the product. Because the market is already segmented and offered such a variety of dog foods, Zenith will have to market the product correctly and focus in on the benefits to be successful. Show Circuit needs to seek a position of a higher quality product in a different, more convenient location. It is important to play up how the location is a benefit rather than a detriment. This goes along with the sales program being successful. Show

Caninantics’s mission is to be the leader in introducing innovative, dog food dispensing product to the market. Through close customer contact and excellent relationships, Caninantics, will meet the needs of the customers. Caninantics, LLC, is a privately-held corporation and maintains an office and a small warehouse in a mixed-use area of North Beach. Three of the four investors in the company have full operational responsibility, the co-founders, have both entrepreneurial and industry experience to brings operational management, marketing, and financial skills

There are all different types of dog foods that are out there. This big name dog food had the ability to climb up the ladder of the dog food market. On every shelf next to all of the other big named brands, this dog food brand has earned the respect and loyalty from customers all over the globe. Beneful Dog Food Coupons are out there all over the internet. No need to spend all of your hard earned money on an expensive dog food brand. Save cash and use Beneful Dog Food Coupons today.

Conventional marketing has appealed to consumers based on the idea that the pet food is enjoyed by the animal. Our product marketing will instead appeal to the parental instinct in pet owners, emphasizing health characteristics such as omega-3, senior pet health supplements, and calcium enrichment. Our preliminary research leads us to believe that consumers feel lost in determining which foods are safe, and which are potentially dangerous for their pets. Our campaign will attempt to create a memorable campaign to classify the relative health and safety qualities of a particular product in a simple way.

The brand now faces the new challenge of bringing its Show Circuit dog food to a larger retail market within the Boston area. In order to complete this desired goal, new packaging had been adopted to make the product more retail friendly. This new packaging was easy to use, but also sleek and recognizable, highlighting the brand and its association with both luxury and quality. Previously, First in Show dog food products had been targeted specifically to show kennels. This was a very limited and specified target market. This was a good market, as professionals understood the premium nature of the product and its benefits to dogs' coats. However, this

I was opening my cat’s food for her, and when I got it open a crack, it spilled out on my thumb. Then I went to the sink to do it. My cat drinks from a water glass on the counter next to the sink. Since the cat food is so hard to open to keep the insides from spilling, I pulled it hard and knocked over the water glass and it broke on the table. I went over to my dad upstairs and said, "Y ou need to get down here right now!” The reason I asked him to do it for me is because of all of the sharp shards. If it did it, I could cut myself, or miss a piece, and my cat, my sister or my parents could cut themselves on it.

As a start-up company, Caninantics will largely benefit from conducting marketing research that will support its marketing strategy. The pet food industry has experienced tremendous growth and profitability in the recent past because of Americans constant love for animals and dogs. It is a competitive market that is characterized by numerous attempts by brands to differentiate themselves from other competitors. For individuals who own cats and dogs, the industry or market generates a staple product. Dog owners tend to prefer cheaper dry pet food because wet pet food is relatively expensive.