Why do the manufaturers of the good natural holistic pet foods not advertise their products?
Well, this is just my theory… The holistic food movement is fairly recent. In the past the average pet owner didn’t really care what they fed their pet, and that is where most of the established pet food companies started. Also, the typical holistic stuff is much more expensive. That means most people (who don’t care or don’t know) what they feed their pets will just pick up whatever is cheapest, or what is conveniently carried by their local grocer. Holistic food seems to average about 2-3 times the cost of your typical pet food… not everyone is willing to spend this on their pets. Our cat food is $10 for 3lbs, some people think we are nuts to spend this. And our dog’s food was usually $30+ a bag until he developed allergies and we had to put him on special food… and that is $25 per bag (don’t remember weight… not a large bag though) As for the lack of advertising, it is simply money. For example, the holistic food company that makes our cat food (Castor & Pollux Pet Works) ha
It’s a Catch 22 situation; you can’t spend a lot of money on marketing because you don’t have the scale, and you don’t have the scale because you don’t do mass marketing. Additionally, to reach the mass market, you need proper distribution (such as mainstream grocery and pet stores), but your current target audience (which shops at alternative/speciality outlets) will drop you the second they see your product on the mainstream retailers’ shelves… Very few brands manage to be carried by both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods…
