How to save money on your pet food

5 Ways to Cut that Doggone Pet Food Bill Australia — Pet food isn’t cheap 

Australians are expected to spend over $2 billion on pet food this year, up from $1.83 billion in 2009, according to the Pet Industry Association of Australia. 

Pet food is the second largest sector of the $8 billion plus pet industry.

Australia is pet crazy with about 2 million more pets than people. There are 4.2 million dogs and about
3.3 million cats.

By 2017, demand for pet food is expected to reach sales of $95.7 billion across the globe, according to
Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA). 

During these tough economic times, pet owners more than ever seem to be turning to their pets to bring comfort and joy to their daily lives even depriving themselves of some items to spend on their pet.

So what are the ways to get your pet food bill down?  Here are five tips from leading Australian online pet food retailer, Jalal Mattar of Boomerang Pet Food www.boomerangpetfood.com.au to cut down your pet food budget:

1. Check out the delivery fee first before you place an order as some online pet food retailers charge very high fees. You shouldn’t be paying more than $6.95 for city delivery and regional and country delivery should start from $7.95, according to Jalal Mattar of Boomerang Pet Food. 
   
   
2. Follow big brands: Food makers and online stores often post coupons on social media sites and their websites. So follow your pet’s favorite brand on Twitter and like it on Facebook. Do the same with online stores. 
   
   
3. Get automated: Set up a subscription online to get your pet food delivered to your door automatically on a regular basis. 8kg bags of Advance Adult Active sell for $78.40 in some major pet food stores, but with Boomerang Pet Food it’s just $57.95. 
   
   Boomerang Pet Food also sells 15kg Pro Plan Senior for just $89.95 which is a saving of up to 30% compared to regular pricing of other pet food suppliers. You can also get your worming and flea treatments at reduced prices at the same time – and save even more. 
   
   
4. Share with a friend – Have a small dog or a cat? Then get the large bags of food delivered as they offer lower prices than the standard size and share with a friend. As well as saving money you don’t have to lug a large bag of food home and you can split the cost with a friend. 
   
   
5. Make your own: Whipping up a freshly cooked meal for your pet can offer up some savings, especially if the pet has an allergy or other medical condition. Before switching to a cooked diet, consult with a veterinarian or pet nutritionist to make sure your pet is getting all the nutrients it needs.
   

For more information, visit www.boomerangpetfood.com.au.

How to choose the pawfect PR company

Looking for a PR company?  With hundreds of firms to choose from where do you start?  

 

The first step is to establish what services you require. PR encompasses a broad range of services - media relations, promotions, events, social media, sponsorship and other.  Which of these do you think will achieve your business objectives? 

The next decision is the size of the firm, whilst a large firm will offer many benefits, a small or medium size also have their advantages. 

Importantly, do they have experience in your industry?

 

If your aim is to secure media coverage ask the company to show you examples of coverage they've secured for clients over the past three months. They should be happy for you to contact their clients too.

When looking at the media articles ask what markets they were targeting to ensure they are not targeting any publication. It may appear great to secure ten minutes on a morning tv program, for example, but if none of the clients target audiences watch it then it's a waste of time.

Also ask them about the process of your campaign - when will they start approaching media and how?

 

What is their method of securing media coverage? You do not want a company who simply send out press releases as this is not effective unless you have a major news story. Media receive hundreds of press releases daily which are mostly get deleted.

Ask them how they will be updating you and how often.  Find out how they will be measuring the campaign and how regularly. 

 

It is crucial that you know the objectives of a campaign before you commence. What do you really want to achieve from the secured media coverage? Don't just appoint a PR and get media coverage for the sake of it or, otherwise, you run the risk of not achieving the desired results.

Only by clearly defining your business objectives will you know what media to target - which also depends on what markets you want to target - and what to say in the article which is known as key messages. 

 

There are usually multiple objectives and it is pivotal that these are properly defined. 

If, for example, you need new staff then the employment sections will be a target and in the media interview you'll emphasise the strong employee benefits and programs that your company offers. 

Don't focus on what media contacts the PR company has as media change roles frequently. Media relationships are not as important as their ability to proactively develop a strong angle and successfully pitch it to relevant media.

 

Importantly find out who will be working on your account, the day to day work. Ask who will be contacting the media on your behalf? 

 

Make sure that the people contacting the media are very experienced - four years minimum. You do not want a junior pitching your company to the media.

Should you appoint a large, small or medium consultancy? It depends on your requirements, how many other clients they have, if their team are predominantly seniors, whether they focus on one area ie; media relations or do everything and more. This is where it's important to find out who is your main point of contact and their level of experience.

And be realistic, don't expect articles at the very beginning - it takes time to secure media coverage and then further time for it to appear. Also, considerable work ie; strategy, development of key messages, issue identification, development of media material and much more, is required at the commencement of the campaign before any media is contacted.

How do they monitor media coverage during the campaign and will they send you original copies of the coverage or scans?

How will they be invoicing you and when do they require payment of their account? Will they be charging you per hour or by a monthly retainer and will cost of phone calls, couriers etc be added on or included in the fee? 

 

If it is a monthly retainer then what happens once they surpass the quoted number of hours, will you be charged in addition?

Ascertain how much notice you are required to provide them if you want to cancel the campaign. Some consultancies require one month, others two - so it's important to know this.

 

For more  information on the process of media relations and securing media coverage go to: http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/47061.aspx

 

Journalists encouraged to enter Australian Pet Blogger Awards

A new important category has been added to the Australian Pet Blogger Awards - Best Pet Article written by a Journalist Award.

This is an important category as journalist articles have so much influence on educating the general public about pets.

Australia has some wonderful journalists and we encourage them to enter their article which have been published in the 12 months prior the entry closing date of 15 November 2013.

The articles do not have to be completely about a pet, they can be pet related.

We now have 20 categories and here they are:
- Best Dog Blog

- Best Cat Blog 
- Best Other Pet 
- Best Designed Blog   
- Best Rescue/Cause
- Blog Best Actual
- Pet Blog (written by a pet)
- Best Pet Company Blog
- Best Veterinarian Blog 
- Best Behaviourist/Training Blog
- Best Pet Travel Blog
- Best international Blog
- Best Pet or pet related advertisement print
- Best Pet or pet related advertisement radio/television
- Best Pet or pet related advertisement digital
- Best Pet App
- Best Twitter
- Best Facebook Page
- Best Pet Website 
- Best Journalist Pet Article 
 

Plus Dogs Life Magazine Readers Choice Award.

Fantastic Feedback on the first Australian Pet Blogger Awards

It's so exciting to be constantly receiving such positive feedback on the Pet Blogger Awards.  We thought that we were on a winner and that it would be a major high profile event, but it's really great to get this feedback.

Entries are open until 15 November but we've received over 130 entries already and all across various categories - blog entries, pet websites, pet apps, pet ads - radio, television and print.  

We've had entries from dog trainers, pet accessory companies, vets including a fish vet, pet welfare organisations, advertising agencies, pet companies small and large, a pig, a Yorkshire Terrier, creatives, production companies, and more!  

And we've had entries from all over Australia as well as overseas. 

Here's some of the feedback:
 

"I feel so proud and honored to be part of the very first Australian Pet Blogger Awards! It's so exciting because it's the very first opportunity for Aussie pet bloggers to get together and celebrate our love and passion for animals as nothing like it currently exists on this scale."    Katie Preston Toepfer Writer/Author Wedding Dogs

 

“Recognition for bloggers, social media writers and campaigners! Wonderful and well overdue!” Anny Slater The Good Dog! International Film Festival

"The Australian Pet Blogger Awards 2013 are an invaluable addition to the Australian pet industry. The awards are recognising the contribution of start ups, SME's, non for profit and corporate organisations. 

In Australia for every 100 people we have an average of 16 dogs and this is a number that is growing. The awards are the first industry event to recognise the contribution of a sector that is experiencing exponential growth. 

Innovative businesses such as Dogtired are connecting with a large cross section of Australian's that have an unbreakable bond with their pets and are supporting animal welfare at the same time. Dogtired is thrilled to be able to connect with the industry through these inaugural awards."  Megan Travers, Dogtired

 

20 Categories in the Australian Pet Blogger Awards

At Four Paws PR, Australia's only Pet PR agency, we don't do small, only big.  Hence there are 20 categories in the Australian Pet Blogger Awards.

And it's open to bloggers, web designers, advertising agencies and creatives, veterinarians, pet companies and app developers.  

The Awards are the annual pet industry, pet owners, and media major industry event.  And they also serve to acknowledge the important work of Australia's pet welfare organisations.

20 Pet welfare groups will receive products and services from pet companies and one will be named Australian Pet Welfare Organisation of the Year, the first Awards of its type.  They will receive funds raised from the Awards; a full page colour advertisement in Dogs Life Magazine and a profile in Dogs Life.

Dogs Life Magazine is the Awards partner and we are so excited to be working with them and value their support and enthusiasm for the Awards.

The 20 categories are:

Categories

·       Best Dog Blog

·       Best Cat Blog

·       Best Other Pet

·       Best Designed Blog

·       Dogs Life Magazine Readers Choice Awards

·       Funniest Blog or Blogger

·       Best Rescue/Cause Blog

·       Best Actual Pet Blog

·       Best Pet Company Blog

·       Best Veterinarian Blog

·       Best Behaviourist/Training Blog

·       Best Pet Travel Blog

·       Best international Blog

·       Best Pet or pet related advertisement print

·       Best Pet or pet related advertisement radio/television

·       Best Pet or pet related advertisement digital

·       Best Pet App

·       Best Twitter Design

·       Best Facebook Page

·       Best Pet Website

Entries close 15 November and entry can be downloaded at http://fourpawspr.com/2013-pet-blogger-awards.html

 

Great Ads Featuring Pets

The US Superbowls ads in 2012 were dominated by dogs.

A panel of USA Today consumers selected the Doritos’ Man’s Best Friend ad as its overall favorite. Made by a contest entrant for only $20, a dog dad catches his Great Dane burying a collar.

The other great pet ads were the Skechers French Bulldog racing Greyhounds ad and the Volkswagen ad with a fat dog chasing a VW Beetle.

But it's not all dogs check out this great ad for Volkswagen featuring a very chatty parrot.

Exciting to see what entries the Australian ad agencies enter in the Pet Blogger Awards!

New Advertising Categories added to Australian Pet Blogger Awards

The Australian Pet Blogger Awards are even bigger with advertising agencies now invited to enter the Awards.

Ad agencies can now enter three categories:

• Best Pet or Pet Related print advertisment
• Best Pet or Pet Related radio or television advertisement
• Best Pet or Pet Related Digital advertisement

This is an excellent opportunity for creatives and advertising agencies to be acknowledged and rewarded by the Australian pet industry which has an annual revenue of over $8 billion per annum.

Attitudes towards pet ownership has changed dramatically with nine out of ten pet owners considering their pets family and treating them as such. 
Nine of our ten pet owners consider their pets a member of the family and in the US 16 percent of car purchasers buy a car with the dog in mind.

With over 63% of Australian homes owning at least one pet, brands can’t ignore this major market. If advertising agencies don’t accommodate pet owners in their advertising and product development then they will miss valuable opportunities.

The automotive industry is ahead of most others and it should be considering that 16 percent of Americans buy cars with their dog in mind and the data is very similar in Australia.

Marketers have to get out of the mindset of how they may view pets. Owners have a completely different attitude and marketers have to get into the pet owners mind to be able to reach them effectively.

So Australian ad agencies - you have until 15 November to get your entries in.     Entries can be downloaded at http://fourpawspr.com/2013-pet-blogger-awards.html