Market Research Pegs Branding as Key Driver to Pet Industry Sales Reaching $52 Billion by 2009

New York, Decempber 4, 2006 — Humanization, “functional” and organic, and licensing of nostalgic pet heroes such as Lassie and Old Yeller are just a few of the brand strategies that are key growth drivers in the overall U.S. pet industry, according to Brand Building in the U.S. Market for Pet Products and Services: Manufacturer, Private-Label, Licensed, and Human Brands, the latest market research from Packaged Facts.

Packaged Facts projects that branding will continue to be a critical factor in the market’s overall growth, which should surpass $52 billion by 2009. High on the branding list is an ongoing psychographic trend known as “humanization”—pets treated like members of the family. Branding pet food as “organic,” “functional,” or “natural” means nothing to pets. Yet such branding hits home with consumers looking for pet foods boasting human-quality ingredients and targeted health appeals, such as weight maintenance and joint care for senior pets.

Health-related branding alone is benefiting sales across every pet sector, from oral care treats to pet toys, regardless of point of purchase. Yet as the proliferation of pet products in non-traditional outlets, such as wholesale clubs, dollar stores, and gift shops continues to increase, health and other branding trends become all the more significant as product appeal takes on decidedly different meanings depending on the venue.

“We’re finding that while value-priced national brands may have strong appeal in dollar stores and warehouse clubs, they may have no appeal at all in non-pet gift stores and department stores where unique and distinctive product lines, such as clothing for posh pups, often fare better,” said Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts.

Brand Building in the U.S. Market for Pet Products and Services examines marketing and retailing strategies and trends geared toward strengthening existing pet product and service brands and creating new ones with a particular focus on human brands crossing over into pet-related categories. Priced at $2,250, this report can be purchased directly from Packaged Facts by visiting: http://www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1219008.html. It is also available at MarketResearch.com.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer industries, including consumer goods, food and beverage, and demographics. For more information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.