Dogs like toys too!

This summer, I wrote about a university study that "revealed" that kids like toys, as demonstrated by the fact that toys impact their choices in promotional fast food meals.  In equally shocking news, another university study published a scientific look at “Why Dogs Find SomeToys Boring,” with Discovery News reporting that “at least one of the many reasons why dogs make such good pets is that they are renowned for routinely engaging in play, even as adults.” 

I have been fortunate to work with institutes of higher learning to conduct research, assess play patterns, and learn about kids.  Scientific study in these areas can be genuinely worthwhile.  This dog toy study...not so much.

Read the story here.

Dog Directed TV Advertising

With dozens of toy commercials under my belt, I've learned a lot about kid-directed TV advertising.  The idea of advertising products directly to kids, who then nag their parents to buy them, has been around almost as long as TV itself.

Now I've seen something completely different.  Nestlé's Purina brand has aired a commercial for its Beneful dog food that's they believe is the first TV commercial designed especially for dogs.

The commercial aired this year in Germany and Austria.  According to Nestlé, the commercial uses a different sounds to capture the attention of dogs.

The first is a 'squeak' which is similar to the sound dog's toys make.  Both dogs and people can hear this.  The next sound is a high frequency tone, similar to a dog whistle, which humans can barely hear.  And the third sound is a soft, high-pitched 'ping' which can be heard by dogs and people. 

From a marketing point of view, Nestlé is doing a great job reinforcing the position of the Purina Beneful brand as one which understands the unique relationship between owners and their dogs.

Safe Toys - Easier When You Own the Lab

Beyond my work in marketing, licensing,and product development in toys for kids, I have spent a great deal of time working on toys for dogs during the last few years.  This ad, which I found in a consumer publication for dog owners, raised a perplexing question.

How could it be cost effective for a specialty pet toy company to put all their items through the rigorous testing that's required of children's toys?  Smaller toy companies often struggle to cost effectively test their products for small parts, heavy metals, and phtalates, and the tests are required by many governments as well as large retailers.

After doing a little digging on Google and LinkedIn, I learned that the owners of the pet toy company are in the product testing business.  Unlike Mattel, a toy manufacturing company that tests its own toys, this seems to be the case of a toy testing company that's gone into manufacturing, a great  way to vertically integrate and grow a business.

For Safe Made Pet Products, it's a clever and unique position in a crowded marketplace.  In the pet toy business, just like in kids' toys, product is king, and while I've only seen Safe Made's toys on their website, they do appear to be pretty good products.

Toy Tuesday: Puppy Tweets

Last Thursday, Mattel announced a new toy for dogs called "Puppy Tweets" that will launch next week at Toy Fair in New York.

According to CNN,

Puppy Tweets is a plastic tag with a sound and motion sensor that you attach to your pet's dog collar and connect its USB receiver to your computer. Then you create a Twitter account for your dog and enjoy updates all day from Sparky or whatever its name is on your computer or smartphone.

The tag is set with several pre-recorded tweets that are triggered by the dog's activities. So if he's running around, you might get a tweet that says "I finally caught that tail I've been chasing and...OOUUUCHH!"

While my dog doesn't have a Twitter account, he does have his own email address. It's not far fetched to expect dog owners to adapt kids' (or adults') play patterns for their dogs.

Mattel's introduction is a great adaptation of the types of technology that toy companies use in their kids' products, but I expect that Mattel will have a few challenges making "Puppy Tweets" a success once the novelty in the marketplace wears out. The most obvious challenge is to determine where the product should be merchandised at retail. In the kids' toy department? In the pet department? And if it's in the toy department, which aisle? Toymakers often have a tough time working with big retailers to find homes for new innovations, and Mattel will no doubt face this challenge.

When I worked at Mattel Canada, I was responsible for a line of Back to School products that were sold in stationery departments and drugstores, not in toy departments and toy stores like most of Mattel's line. With a dedicated focus on the Back to School line, we were successful in getting placement at retail and strong sell through to consumers. Similarly, Mattel should be able to establish a home for "Puppy Tweets" in mass merchants and big box pet stores with a concerted sales and marketing effort.

Still, I'm not sure that I'd buy it for my dog. For families with both dogs and kids, though, "Puppy Tweets" could have a lot of appeal. What do you think?