A new experiential marketing company, VIP (Very Important Pooches), has launched to offer brands a route to target dogs and their owners.

VIP will be appearing at more than 30 events this summer, kicking off with PugFest – the UK’s only official pug festival – on June 18^th. The agency plans to run a VIP Zone, a dedicated event space offering an array of attractions for pooches, at each event. The VIP Zone will feature a VIP bar offering treats, Snuffle brand dog beer and pooch-friendly ‘pawsecco’; fun for four-legged guests in need of refreshment to unwind, including a giant four-metre tennis ball, ball pond and paddling pool; and a glamorous red carpet area and pooch photo booth for VIP selfies, allowing dog owners to capture and share their VIP experience.

All visitors to the VIP Zone receive a free doggie bag of exclusive samples, goodies and promotional vouchers from the industry’s biggest brands. W

Maria Amany, VIP event co-ordinator, says: “We believe every pooch is a VIP. That’s why we’re so excited to be launching The VIP experience at shows across the UK this summer. We look forward to welcoming and meeting thousands of very important pooches and their owners to enjoy all of the attractions and free treats in our VIP Zone.

With the UK’s 8.5 million dog owners spending more on their pets each year, the dog product market is booming. A January 2017 U.S. study found that the average dog owner uploads a picture or posts about their pet on social media six times per week, while one in ten have even created a social media account for their pet. VIP points to the rise of dedicated pet social media sites such as Dogster and MyDogSpace as evidence that the UK’s dogs are more valued than ever before, both by their owners and by the pet industry’s leading brands.

VIP is a bespoke marketing and promotions agency working solely within the dog marketplace. Its mission is to deliver outstanding promotional campaigns for clients using a suite of proven marketing approaches to build brand awareness with dog owners and drive sales. It aims to use online and offline channels to create an integrated marketing network that will enable VIP and its brand partners to target 8.5 million dog owners across the UK. With a focus on sampling through local dog shows and events, VIP plans to develop a comprehensive database and use sophisticated data analysis to provide both VIP the agency and its brand partners with insights into product trends as well as information for product development and marketing.

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British pet food company Lily’s Kitchen is donating 100 tonnes of its dog and cat food over the next three months as part of a new nationwide charity initiative, called ‘Dinner’s On Us’.

Lily’s is asking consumers to nominate deserving cat and dog charities and will be giving out at least 650,000 meals. The initiative is part of a wider company programme called ‘Acts Of Goodness’, intended to highlight how successful businesses can be a ‘force for good’.

Henrietta Morrison, CEO and founder of Lily’s Kitchen, says: “As dedicated pet lovers at Lily’s Kitchen, nothing saddens us more than a pet in need and nothing brings more joy to us than helping less fortunate pets when we are able to. There are thousands of wonderful organizations, events, and people in the UK quietly doing great work to support pets in need and we want to recognize and applaud their efforts, so please help us to help them.”

Anyone can recommend a deserving pet charity for ‘Dinner’s On Us’ by visiting www.lilyskitchen.co.uk/acts-of-goodness/dinners-on-us. Visitors can check in to see the number of meals that have been donated so far and view images of the various charities and dogs and cats that they have helped by taking the time to nominate.

The campaign is also on Twitter with the hashtag #ActsOfGoodness

The promotion runs throughout February, March and April 2016. Charities receiving donations may be based in the UK or in Europe and some

A meal applies to a complete (not complementary) food, calculated based on either a 3yr old 16.5kg dog or a 1.5yr old 4kg cat.

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