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THE NEWEST GENERATION OF PET OWNERSSUSAN DANKERTPIJAC CANADA

Delivered October 2011 at the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies

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Who Are You?

BOOMER: 1946-1964

GENERATION X: 1965-1976

GENERATION Y: 1977-1994

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Who are they?

Our industry has successfully enjoyed catering to one of the most affluent groups of pet owners in history, baby boomers. As those boomers age they may become more likely to have lower maintenance pets or none at all. Pet ownership has hovered consistently around 50% in Canada over the last decade, which indicates that X has maintained the habits of their parents. Now we are looking to Generation Y (also known as Millennials or the Net Generation) When taking into the ever increasing pace of life, what will be interesting to watch is whether generation Y will continue to select cats and dogs at the same level as their predecessors, or also switch to lower maintenance pets to accommodate their busy life styles. In any case, as generation Y comes into career and life stability, it looks as though they will continue to have pets. Let’s have a look at this newest generation of pet owners.

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What makes them tick?

It is important to know what makes them tick: Understanding things like their priorities, stresses, and how they spend their free time combined with knowing how they communicate plays an integral part in connecting with them.

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations: First off Generation Y enjoys the highest standard of living ever experienced.

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Technology Dependant

Technology Dependant: They are a time stretched bunch and use technology to keep up their lives. They love instant gratification which is why everywhere you find this generation you also find social media. In order to connect with and stay in the forefront of the minds of this generation you need to use it. Like it or not, it is here to stay.

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Connecting

Social Connections: They value social connections and being able to share things with their social circle. They develop social connections around pets which offers up a perfect business opportunity to tap into. Communicate with them in a way that they will hear you. Successfully become part of their community and you can reap the rewards word of mouth advertising, some of the most valuable P.R. you can ever obtain. Group Oriented: They love doing things in groups. Look at getting involved community events and use the technology to get the word out or reach out to online communities and create ways for them to participate. I read an article last week about two students in the US who have started a type of facebook for pet lovers called Petbooknow. A fun example of how connected and group oriented pet lovers can be.

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Gurus of Green

Gurus of Green: This generation has been raised to be very environmentally conscious with respect to the earth and to their health. Many natural, green, and organic products are already available in stores, but make sure you are prepared to answer questions because you will get asked.

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Socially Aware

Socially Aware: This works for any audience. Let your clients know about all the things you do to help communities and social causes. For example, in 2011 Pedigree donated $1 to participating shelters in Canada up to a total of $50,000. It does not need to be anything this big, but linking yourself to a social cause such animal welfare or community development This works even if you sector is animal welfare. For example partnering up with dog park development or another community initiative where pets are a factor. This will go a long way to build and maintain loyalty with Gen Y pet owners.

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Colour Blind

Colour Blind: Generation Y is reported to be blind to nationality. When you are looking at images to use in your marketing or product development keep this in mind.

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New Approach to Marketing

New Approach to Marketing The people of the Y generation know they are being marketed to and expect it. Marketing needs to be focused on authenticity and honesty. They can see right through slick and manipulative campaigns and do not appreciate them. Be honest and true. This is what they appreciate as it helps to build trust and loyalty. With respect to branding, Gen Y is attracted to clean uncluttered and stylish.

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Keeping up with Technology

Keep up with communication technology. They are hungry for information relevant to them and their pets. As a business you already have that information, it is the delivery method that can make all the difference. For example blogging may be the greatest medium to help you listen to your pet owner’s needs, concerns, attitudes and perceptions. This also provides free market research.

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Popularity of Pets

Generation Y is interested in pets, but there has been some concern about whether or not technology is replacing the need for pets. There are two schools of thought on this. One side says that young people are more interested in games rather than taking on the responsibility of a pet. The other side says that technology may be strengthening the need for pets, as they provide non judgemental and easy in-person social interaction. Our money is on the pets and here’s why. Trends in pet spending and product and service development show that pet owners are value their pets more than they ever have before. It is predicted that Generation Y will spoil their pets more than we have ever seen before. For example, according to an article in verterinarymarketing.com things like vaccinations will no longer be seen as optional. The triple A Pet Book – Travelling with your pet lists 13,000 approved pet friendly hotels in North America while petfriendly hotels.com claims over 25,000 pet friendly hotels in their database. Major technology companies such as Apple have developed Ipad and Iphone apps have specifically to entertain cats and dogs, marrying the love of pets with the love of technology.

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Popularity of Pets

It is reported that Generation Y sees pets as a reflection of themselves and many will go to great lengths to care for them Better and more niche pet services are popping up every day, as illustrated by pet services making up 35.1% of the Canadian pet businesses.

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Planning for the Future

Long Term Planning It is reported that 73% of parents talk with their kids about important family decisions and 70% of parents say the knowledge their kids provide makes purchasing decisions easier. The point being that parents are listening to what they kids have to say…..so Offering education at schools, and community events will resonate with current pet owners and help teach future ones about the benefits of pets and responsible pet ownership, not to mention helping to solidify your brand or if you prefer reputation in the community, whether, you are a shelter, store, vet clinic, rescue or municipal animal services.

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It’s in the Delivery

In an article entitled Meet the Net Generation, it says the eight norms that differentiate this generation are; freedom, customization, scrutiny, collaboration, entertainment, speed and innovation. Understanding what is to be part of the Y Generation is integral to successfully tapping this newest generation of pet owners. No matter which generation you are dealing with the one thing that binds them all is a love of pets. Socially minded, information hungry, generation Y pet owners are one of your target audiences. As we all continue to spread the word about responsible pet ownership and pet wellbeing keep in mind that the message may be the same but how you word it and how you deliver that message can be the key to success. Thank you