Advertising online to Shiba Inu owners

For this week’s blog, I’ve decided to try and find more information online about Shiba Inus (a native Japanese dog breed) while paying special attention to the advertising and marketing opportunities.

There are so many different ways to get information about dog breeds online: Blogs, forums, chat rooms (so 1998), wikipedia, kennel clubs, rescues and breeders. I’m a member of a forum about Shiba Inus, so I spread some links around. From the responses I got, it turns out I’m part of one of the best english forums in the world about Shibas. It also turns out that a lot of people on my forum read and write blogs about their dog(s). People had several opinions about the blog links I posted, as well as suggestions for ones I didn’t know about. I really enjoyed reading about the similarities and differences between my dog, and others with the same breed.

In terms of brands taking advantage of the information available online (by advertising on the sites), I didn’t see much at all. I guess since it’s such a specific (and not very prominent [in Canada]) breed, brands don’t think about advertising on these sites. The only “brands” I see benefiting online are breeders. Breeders from all around the world are advertising their dogs, litters and services for minimal costs compared to other forms of advertising.

The brands that should be taking advantage of these pages are “premium” dog food companies. There is a well-known website (Dogfoodanalysis.com) that reviews almost every brand of dog food you can imagine. It ranks every blend of every brand according to the nutritional value of the food ranging from 1 to 6 stars (6 being the highest quality). Anything above 4 stars is considered to be “premium”. It would take forever to go into great detail about what makes premium dog food and what doesn’t, so I’ll be quick in saying this: Premium dog food won’t be found in your local Petsmart, and you won’t see ads for it on TV. Now I’m sure you’re wondering where I’m going with this…

First: Shiba Inu owners and people interested in owning a Shiba Inu are not generic. They’re likely going to do a lot of research before they get the dog, and will likely want to do everything in their power to ensure that their dog gets the best training, the best grooming tools, and of course, the best food.

Second: Those who have done research about Shibas know that they are vulnerable to food allergies. No wheat, no chicken, no crappy bi-products. If you want a happy puppy tummy, you’re going to need the premium stuff.

So this is where I’m going: Premium dog food suppliers should be advertising on these blogs, forums, chat rooms, breeder sites, rescue sites and kennel club sites. Shiba wanters/owners are seeking information about how to get the best of the best for their dogs, so give it to them. Tell them about your products.