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📝 Intro

48% of households in the US own at least one dog. 37% own at least one cat (American Pet Products Association, 2018).

Of course, they will buy different pet-related products.

But what about other products - that have nothing to do with pets? Does which pet people have influence what they buy?

And what happens if you show a cat in an ad about travel insurance, or a dog in a video for an amusement park?

A new clever study found that things get very interesting.

Previous insight: People watch high energy ads more (100+ more insights here)

Show cats or dogs in your ads depending on the purpose of your product

Channels: Ads | Marketing communications
For: B2C. Can be tested for B2B
Research date: March 2022

📈 Recommendation

If your product is focused on what a person can gain (e.g. a car that’s exciting to drive, a toothpaste that whitens teeth, a fun and social restaurant) feature dogs in your ads and try to target dog owners.

If your product is focused on avoiding losses (e.g. a very safe car, a toothpaste that prevents cavities, a health-focused restaurant) feature cats in your ads and try to target cat owners.

People will like your product more and be more likely to buy it.

🎓 Findings

• People’s mindsets are influenced by their exposure to dogs or cats (e.g. in an ad, by interacting with or thinking about them):

  • Dogs activate a ‘promotion mindset’. This focuses on growth and potential gains and is more open to change and risk-taking

  • Cats activate a ‘prevention mindset’. This focuses on caution and avoiding losses, is slower to adapt to change, and less risk-taking

• Once activated, these mindsets influence people’s behavior, including which products they like and buy. Even when completely unrelated to pets.

• For example, as part of a series of 11 experiments, this study found that:

  • US states with higher dog ownership had higher COVID-19 transmission rates compared to more cat-owning states (Jan - Nov 2020). They also searched more for restaurants on Google and less for face masks and how to social distance

  • After people watched a video featuring dogs (vs the same video with cats), 24% more preferred a vitamin brand that ‘gives high energy’ rather than ‘reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease’

  • When people were asked to remember an interaction with a dog (vs a cat), they offered to pay 35% more for a massage described as “to increase metabolism, boost immunity, and build a rejuvenated body”, compared to the same massage described as “to help soothe body aches, relieve tensions, and reduce stress”. The opposite happened with those who thought of cats

• The effect works as long as the dogs or cats are stereotypical (e.g. carefree dog, standoffish cat). Non-stereotypical pets cancel the effect (e.g. a shy, quiet dog).

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🧠 Why it works

• Throughout our lives, we build mental associations and stereotypes about cats and dogs, either directly (e.g. by owning one) or indirectly (e.g. from movies).

• Many of these are true. For example, research found that dogs are more eager to please their owners and play with other dogs - while cats are more cautious, suspicious, and anxious around new people.

• As part of these associations, we connect them with promotion vs prevention mindsets, which are two well studied different ways in which we make decisions.

• So when we are exposed to dogs or cats, these mental associations are activated and influence our thinking and behavior according to those stereotypes.

✋ Limitations

• The researchers did not measure whether this effect is stronger or weaker for actual owners of cats or dogs, compared to others with indirect experience.

• Do people adopt a cat (vs a dog) because they are more prevention-focused, or do they become more prevention-focused after they adopt a cat? We don’t know.

• This study was conducted mainly in the US, where people tend to treat their pets as family members. The effect may change in cultures where pets are treated more as possessions.

🏢 Companies using this

• Several companies occasionally use pets in their ads, although they are probably unaware of this effect.

• Examples:

  • Subaru’s “Dog Tested, Dog Approved” campaign has been running since 2009

  • Sainsbury’s “Mog the Cat” Christmas ad was widely viewed in 2015

  • Target uses a dog as its brand mascot. It even has its own merchandise store

⚡ Steps to implement

• Think of whether your product is more attractive to people in a promotion or prevention mindset. Often the same product can be described as either. For example, a cooking pan can be framed as “Unleash new taste from your meals” (promotion messaging) or “A better way to cook your classics. Same taste, as always” (prevention messaging).

• Consider including either dogs or cats in your ad creatives or marketing communications (e.g. emails, videos) to activate the optimal mindset.

• Target your products to dog or cat owners, or use different messaging for the two groups.

🔍 Study type

Lab and online experiments and market observation (analysis of Google search terms and COVID-19 infection rates in US States with prevalent dog or cat ownership)

📖 Research

The Pet Exposure Effect: Exploring the Differential Impact of Dogs Versus Cats on Consumer Mindsets. Journal of Marketing (March 2022).

🏫 Researchers

• Lei Jia. Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Xiaojing Yang. Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

• Yuwei Jian. Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Remember: This is a new scientific discovery. In the future it will probably be better understood and could even be proven wrong (that’s how science works). It may also not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.

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