Reinventing the Pointer brand
How we created a new brand strategy for Pointer that helped the brand connect with its customers.
Challenge
To understand Pointer’s customers better and create a strategy for change.
A staple treat in many dog owners’ cupboards, Pointer didn’t want to rest on their laurels, so we set out to understand:
- Where can you buy Pointer?
- Who buys the treats?
- Why do they buy?
- Is the brand traditional?
And of course, where is the brand now — and where can we take it?
Solution
We got our heads straight into research - we know pet marketing so we know this is where to start.
An established category, there was plenty of research available for the dog treat market. We looked at the major players, market growth forecasts, media consumption of dog owners and cultural trends. But there was also a plethora of interesting data from within the brand - product reviews and historic sales and so on.
When we exhausted our desk research, it was time to seek primary data, starting with quantitative. We designed a questionnaire to understand dog owners’ habits, asking questions relating to purchase locations, frequency, types and reasons for buying treats.
We then carried out qualitative research - enter the real magic. We spoke with the Pointer sales team, wholesalers, retailers and of course - dog owners (customers and non-customers).
These themes drove a killer strategy.
Our pet marketing team always have their fingers on the pulse with what’s going on in the market. And one concept that’s being talked about a lot recently is category entry points (CEPs), made famous by the Ehrenberg-bass institute. CEPs for dog treat purchase behaviour refers to the reasons or factors that influence a dog owner to purchase dog treats.
Our team identified a number of CEPs, then prioritised a handful to focus on.
Impact
- A strategy loved by the Pointer brand
- A strategy that hit the nail on the head
- An ongoing partnership with Pointer to deliver our vision
- A pet marketing agency that continues to deliver on promises
Leopard Co were a breath of fresh air when it came to scoping out our strategy project and their approach was very methodical. They kept us updated at every major point in the process and Aaron and Emily were professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable; we felt like we were in very capable hands all the way through. We were really pleased with the research and are looking to continue our relationship with them. We'd highly recommend working with them.Senior Marketing Executive at Pointer