Key insights from the UK Pet Food Annual Convention
To support UK Pet Food — the go-to trade association for pet food manufacturers — with the launch of its new ‘Love Them Madly, Feed Them Wisely’ campaign, we attended the association’s annual convention in London last week.
We heard from experts across the pet food industry, and beyond, on topics centered around the rise in misinformation about the pet food industry being spread and how to combat it.
Talks included:
- ‘How to navigate the truth in a ‘post-truth’ world’
- ‘The myths of pet nutrition’
- ‘Communicating for transparency and trust’
How can pet food brands navigate the truth in a 'post-truth' world?
Scientist, Adam Rutherford, shared his advice at the UK Pet Food annual convention to use an ‘evidence-based strategy’ in all you do to help make sure you are always striving for the truth through your brand communications.
He explained that misinformation is not new, but it is spreading like wildfire in 2024 because of social media.
Human beings inherently love stories, and telling stories has been at the heart of our existence since the beginning of time.
Stories are powerful, but rarely factual.
By backing everything we do in factual evidence, and so striving for the truth always, we will be protecting our brands from falling into the traps of misinformation.
The key message being to only trust the experts.
What are the myths and misconceptions in pet nutrition?
Within vet surgeries, and online communities of pet owners, there is an onslaught of incorrect opinions being shared about pet nutrition.
Cat Henstridge aka ‘Cat The Vet’, a working vet and social media influencer, shared the most common myths she hears around what to feed pets:
- Cats cannot eat carbs
- Dogs are wolves
- Cheap food is bad
- These ingredients are ‘fillers’
- Avoid by-products
- Vets don’t know anything about nutrition
The above are all incorrect but where are these opinions coming from?
Some pet food adverts are to blame for not being completely factual in their output, which can lead to an increase in fear and concern amongst pet owners. Pet brands deliberately spreading misinformation through advertising are doing nothing but undermining the bond between pets and their owners, which is only serving to damage the industry we all work in
There’s a rise in pet nutritionists being paid by brands to promote information specific to that brand. Sometimes this information is actually misinformation, which is – perhaps unintentionally – harmful to the overall category.
Pet owner forums online often feature pet owners telling each other false ‘truths’. This is often unintentional but creates an unease amongst pet owners who just feel so confused about what they should feed their pets.
How can pet brands communicate for transparency and trust?
Ethical marketing has a big part to play in this, and if you want your audience to listen to your brand when you have something important to say then you need to go on a journey of increasing brand awareness and brand love.
This is vital.
Trust is earned and comes with familiarity.
Start talking the narrative you want to be known for, in the spaces your audience is. It’s only when you have established a relationship with your audience that the trust will follow.
We also heard from Charlotte Dixon, Senior Corporate Affairs Manager at Nestle Purina Petcare UK&I, who launched the ‘Love Them Madly, Feed Them Wisely’ campaign to the room of UK Pet Food members, offering a detailed overview of what the campaign includes and the next steps for 2025.
What is the 'Love Them Madly, Feed Them Wisely' campaign?
The campaign aims to support pet owners and professionals in the pet food industry by providing advice on subjects of nutrition, with the hope that the issue of how best to feed pets is simplified for pet owners across the UK.
The campaign is launching following increasing concerns around the rising levels of pet obesity and a growing number of pet owners not seeking veterinary advice on the subject.
The most consumer-friendly campaign UK Pet Food has ever done, the campaign aims to provide simple ways to talk about complex issues. The goal of this is for the UK Pet Food website to be the place everyone can go to find the truth with expert knowledge and information to be found.
Spearheaded by vet influencer, Cat The Vet, who appears in a series of short videos explaining simplified messages about pet nutrition, the campaign is supported by a plethora of helpful resources housed on the UK Pet Food website.
Are you a pet brand looking for support with your communications? Get in touch with our expert team today.