Mars Petcare is set to entice more shoppers to the petcare category this Christmas by introducing a selection of new products to its seasonal range from October. Spanning three of its best loved brands – Pedigree®, Sheba® and Dreamies™ – Mars Petcare is supporting the launches with TV advertising for Pedigree and Dreamies; its biggest seasonal campaign to date.
For the first time, festive main meals from Pedigree and Sheba will be available for pets to enjoy. This launch follows the release of Mars Petcare’s first annual category report – The Rising Power of Pets in Pandemic Britain – which explored the surge in owners referring to themselves as their pets’ parents. With a quarter of pet owners explicitly admitting that they celebrate Christmas with their pets[1], this opens up an opportunity for retailers to offer a festive meal solution in the pet food aisle.
The range will also be bolstered with new treats including Dreamies Salmon & Turkey Mix, Pedigree Schmacko Turkey and Pedigree Rodeo Turkey. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, pet treats experienced significant growth with value sales surging year on year. Dreamies saw an astonishing 12.9% growth whilst Pedigree treats grew an equally impressive 11.8% from the week of the UK’s first Covid case in February to the partial lifting of lockdown 12 weeks later[2]. Against this backdrop, Christmas will be the perfect time to keep momentum going and encourage pet parents to keep treating their cats or dogs.
Arthur Renault, marketing portfolio director at Mars Petcare, comments: “After this year’s events, we can’t be sure what Christmas 2020 holds, but we know owners want to mark seasonal occasions with their pets, whether that be including them in gift giving or having a special meal for them to enjoy. Our Pedigree and Sheba main meals, inspired by festive flavours, have been designed for pets and their owners to come together and share a moment of happiness.
“In addition to this, we’re also bringing back past favourites with stockings and gift boxes for owners to spoil their pets properly this Christmas.”
Pedigree was the best-selling Christmas pet stocking last year[3], while the Dreamies Gift Box was the most sold cat Christmas product in the market[4]. Both brands will have stockings and gift boxes available, complete with new toys.
The festive range will be supported by nationwide TV campaigns for Dreamies and Pedigree – in excess of £1m – and running throughout November and December. Driving mass awareness of the brands’ festive offerings, the activity aims to help retailers attract new shoppers to the category at a time when more people than ever will be looking to treat their pets.
To offer variety, the main meals from Pedigree and Sheba both come in packs of 12 with two flavours – Sheba Turkey and Chicken; and Pedigree Turkey and Chicken. The full product range is available to order now.
[1] Report January 2020 Streetbees research, Analysis based on responses of 119 dog owners in the UK and 118 cat owners in UK & Germany
[2] Mars Pet Engine for Growth panel (PEGGY)
[3] Nielsen Total Coverage Scantrack VALUE SALES WE 28.12.2019
[4] Nielsen Total Coverage Scantrack VALUE + UNIT SALES WE 28.12.2019
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