Pets In Advertising or How to Influence Consumers?

Abstract

Animals have always played an important role in the history of humanity. We only have to think of prehistoric cave paintings, or the relationship between our grandparents and animals, or recall the iconic films Alpha or Hachi, A Dog’s Tale. However, it is important to note that the nature of the relationship between animals and humans has changed over time. Whereas in the past their relationship was mainly characterised by respect: maintaining their personal independence; nowadays this relationship has taken on a different dimension, as pets – in most families – live in the same household, receiving the same level of attention as the rest of the family. The primary objectives of this study are (1) to identify the product/service categories that are not targeted at dogs and pets, but they appear as the primary communicators in the promotion of the product or service, (2) to identify the characteristics that fundamentally define this type of advertising. Article history: Received: November 22, 2023; Reviewed: February 2, 2024; Accepted: March 7, 2024; Available online: March 29, 2024. JEL classification: M37.

Keywords

• pets, advertisements, parameters, message