Iams In America

In 2014, Mars acquired Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura pet brands from Procter & Gamble for $2.9 billion further cementing Mars power in the North America and Latin America market. (Presse, 2014, p. xx) Globally, Iams has brands in the UK with the option to acquire additional markets in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore as part of the deal made with P&G. ("Iams: Advertising and marketing profile at adbrands.net," 2014)

Since the 1950’s, Iams has focused on providing better ingredients in its pet food products. Throughout the years, Iams researchers have revamped its products to include the healthiest of ingredients to promote shiny coats, digestive health, intestinal health, and longevity. Ingredients such as beet pulp, corn, wheat, salmon

Iams), Nestle Purina, JM Smucker (i.e. Big Heart Pet Brand), Blue Buffalo, Diamond Pet Foods, Spectrum Brands (i.e. P&G Europe), Hills Pet Nutrition, and Nutro Products. The competitors today are young guns with newer ideas that challenge the more traditional ways of advertising. They aren’t satisfied with relying on the cute, tug at your heartstring commercials to promote their product. Instead, they are challenging the typical market strategy and being more vocal through social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) and cultural movements. (Goodson, 2015, p. xx) These movements benefit both established pet brands (i.e. Iams) and new brands (i.e. Blue Buffalo) by using earned media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) and top paid media (i.e. TV commercials) to spread word of mouth by loyal customers. This helps to build shares, gives established brands a competitive edge, and speed up trajectory in the market for newer brands. (Goodson, 2015, p.

With so many different pet food brands on the market today, the market share is less, resulting in modest budgets for newer brands to work with. An example is the Nature Variety’s Instinct campaign titled Long Live Pets. Its main purpose is to advocate for rescue dogs across the U.S. A person uploads a photo of their rescue pet and that photo will be used in a series of films shown nationwide. The campaign has resonated with a large group of pet-owners. (Goodson, 2015, p. xx)

Other companies like Blue Buffalo have taken a more direct approach and urge pet owners to compare their products to that of the competition. They advertise through TV ads and Internet videos and even had a skit featured on Saturday Night Live. However, seasoned companies are fighting back against the new competition. In 2014, Nestle Purina launched a campaign against Blue Buffalo claiming their statement of not having any animal byproducts or grain in their pet food was a lie. The campaign created its own website entitled petfoodhonesty.com. (Goodson, 2015, p.