Brands bark up social tree to celebrate everyone's love of dogs
Amazon, HomeGoods and Target were among many brands fetching a connection to animal lovers on social media by celebrating National Dog Day through a wide range of trending social content such as memes, GIFs, funny photos, heartfelt stories and polls.
National Dog Day prompted a slew of brands to take to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to engage with dog lovers through various mediums known to be popular on social media. Many brands, such as Amazon, incorporated a branded spin with cute pups while others enticed users with just the dogs themselves.
"There are countless ways brands can take advantage of an initiative like National Dog Day," said Michael Becker, managing partner at mCordis. "Programs like National Dog Day provide a focus around a topic of interest, in this case, dogs.
"The key to engaging with the initiative is to ensure that the communication is genuine and relevant," he said. "A brand could use a platform like this to support their corporate social responsibility efforts, by supporting a relevant charity; to build their brand by sharing good will and positive sentiment; or, even as an opportunity to drive sales.
"On this later point, a brand must take care to not to push the sales effort to hard, however. A sales approach that is too aggressive and direct may shine a negative light on the brand."
Happy National Dog Day!
Amazon took to social media on Friday with a GIF incorporating its corgi mascot in a cartoon GIF that showed the animated pup smiling in an Amazon-branded box. The post included the #NationalDogDay hashtag and a link to download the mobile messaging app Line for users to download its keyboard featuring the iconic corgi.
Another retailer, Zulily, showcased a range of throw pillows with various French bulldogs printed on them and similar posts with dachshunds and pugs printed products along with a dog emoji and the dog day hashtag. MGM also showcased its brand by showing a picture from its film Max along with the hashtag.
HomeGoods showed off a few of its products for dog owners such as a container for dog food with the common hashtag and text that read, ?Pets make a house a home, treat your furry friends to a special treat today.?
Bed Bath and Beyond shared a post with a infographic about road trip rules for traveling with your pets. The image shares tips such as prepare manners, make the car a happy place, plan pet-friendly pit stops and bringing ample food, water and toys.
Target shared a post from Chip Ganassi Racing that showed off a photo of its real-life mascot with text saying, ?celebrating our furry friend, Bullseye on #NationalDogDay! #TeamTarget.?
Holiday marketing
Similarly, The Hershey Company leveraged buzz surrounding National S?mores Day yesterday by promoting a hashtag on Twitter and responding to consumers with a message containing a link to one of the brand?s classic s?mores recipes (see more).
Also, Amazon, Staples and Etsy were just a few of the numerous brands that leveraged social media to appeal to followers for yesterday?s St. Patrick?s Day celebration, tying their products into the holiday in creative ways (see more).
"If the brand has a cause-related program, something that helps the community, they can use the initiative to bring their community together, but advocacy and good will," Mr. Becker said. "They may also use the day as a means of recruiting influencers and leaders, and or to reward their loyal customers and prospects with relevant offers and giveaways."
"If the brand has a cause-related program, something that helps the community, they can use the initiative to bring their community together, but advocacy and good will," Mr. Becker said. "They may also use the day as a means of recruiting influencers and leaders, and or to reward their loyal customers and prospects with relevant offers and giveaways."