Pet Product Marketing: How to Reach Today’s Pet Parents and Drive Brand Growth

Key Takeaways

• 94 million U.S. households now own pets, with Millennials and Gen Z accounting for nearly 57% of pet owners in the United States
• Pet humanization has transformed the industry: 72% of Gen Z pet owners consider their pets family members, and half see no difference between their pet and a human child
• The global pet care market reached $246 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $427 billion by 2032
• Younger pet parents prioritize authenticity, sustainability, and wellness over traditional “natural” or “organic” marketing claims
• Effective pet product marketing requires emotional storytelling, social media integration, and brand values that align with how consumers actually feel about their pets

Introduction: The Pet Parent Revolution

The terminology debate rages on in online forums and comment sections: pet owner versus pet parent. Yet beyond the semantics lies a fundamental truth that pet product marketers cannot afford to ignore. The relationship between humans and their companion animals has transformed so completely that traditional marketing approaches no longer resonate.

Consider the numbers. Americans spent $147 billion on their pets in 2023, with pet food and treats alone accounting for over $64 billion. The global pet care market has grown to $246 billion and is projected to reach $427 billion by 2032. This is not incremental growth. This is a wholesale reimagining of what pet care means.

For brands engaged in pet product marketing, understanding this transformation is not optional. It is the difference between connecting with passionate consumers willing to spend significantly on their pets and watching competitors capture market share with messaging that actually resonates.

This article explores how the pet parent relationship has evolved, what modern pet parents actually want from brands, and how pet product marketing strategies must adapt to reach this valuable demographic.

The Evolution of the Pet Parent Relationship

How Pets Were Treated a Generation Ago

A generation or two ago, keeping a pet was a fundamentally different experience. The family dog was often purchased as a gift for children. That dog received a generic name (Fido, Rover, Butch, Lassie) and ate inexpensive, commodity dog food. Days were spent waiting for family members to return home, with limited enrichment, socialization, or attention to emotional needs.

Veterinary care was reserved for emergencies. Grooming happened rarely. The concept of pet wellness, mental stimulation, or emotional enrichment simply did not exist in mainstream consciousness. Pets were companions, certainly, but the relationship was transactional in ways that seem almost unrecognizable today.

The Modern Pet Parent Experience

Contrast that with how Millennials and Gen Z approach pet care today. Dogs and cats are not just companions. They are family members, fur babies, and sometimes practice children for couples not yet ready for human parenthood.

Pet naming has become an event. Apps and websites help parents discover human-sounding names trendy and original enough to stand out at the dog park. Birthday parties for pets have become normalized. Pet parents share milestone moments on social media with the same enthusiasm they would show for human children.

Spending reflects this elevated status. Pet parents routinely spend $100 or more on premium, grain-free dog food. The average annual spend exceeds $1,000 for both dog and cat owners. Gen Z pet owners spend an average of $178 monthly on pet care, with 70% living in multi-pet households.

Instead of being kenneled for hours or left alone waiting for owners to return, today’s pets enjoy dog walking services, pet sitting, daycare, enrichment activities, and constant attention to their physical and emotional wellbeing. The pet wellness category has seen a 9.2% increase in purchase rates, driven by everything from skincare to dental care to digestive health supplements.

Why This Shift Happened

Several factors converged to create the pet humanization movement:

Delayed family formation: Millennials delayed marriage and children longer than previous generations. Pets filled emotional needs traditionally met by human family members.

Urban living: As more young people moved to cities with smaller living spaces, pets became more integrated into daily life rather than relegated to yards or outdoor spaces.

Social media: Platforms enabled pet parents to share their animals’ lives publicly, creating communities around pet parenthood and normalizing significant emotional investment in animal companions.

Economic factors: Rising incomes among pet-owning households enabled premium spending. At the same time, pets remained relatively affordable companions compared to raising children.

Mental health awareness: Growing recognition of pets’ roles in emotional support and mental health elevated their status from optional companions to essential members of household wellbeing.

Understanding Today’s Pet Parent Demographics

Millennials: The Generation That Made Pet Parenthood Mainstream

Millennials represent 33% of U.S. pet owners and remain the largest pet-owning generation. They normalized calling themselves pet parents, posting birthday celebrations on social media, and treating veterinary care as a non-negotiable household expense.

Key characteristics of Millennial pet parents:

• 76% own a pet, and over 80% consider pets part of their family
• More likely to dine with their pets and include them in daily routines
• Prioritize quality pet food and are willing to pay premium prices
• Highly receptive to cross-selling and upselling when positioned around pet wellness
• Value human connection and expertise in retail and service interactions
• Prone to purchasing luxurious items, toys, and natural or organic products

Millennials brought emotion to pet ownership. They made loving your pet publicly acceptable and expected. They created the market conditions for premium pet products to flourish.

Gen Z: Taking Pet Parenthood Even Further

Gen Z has grown to represent 25% of pet owners and is the fastest-growing segment of pet parents. They took everything Millennials started and intensified it. Where Millennials brought emotion, Gen Z added structure, systems, and non-negotiable standards.

What distinguishes Gen Z pet parents:

• 72% consider their pets family members (compared to 58% of Millennials)
• 48% see no difference between their pet and a human child
• 70% live in multi-pet households
• Average $6,103 in annual pet spending per owner
• 81% celebrate their pet’s birthday
• 61% of pets acquired by Gen Z come from shelters or rescues
• 78% use calming products for their pets
• 71% of cat owners invest in wellness routines including mental stimulation

Gen Z pet parents demand telehealth, same-day delivery, anxiety solutions, and ethical sourcing in everything they buy. 46% are open to using pet-tech gadgets, and 40% feel traditional veterinary clinics are outdated.

Critically for pet product marketing, Gen Z places far less faith in products tagged “natural” or “organic,” believing these terms have become largely meaningless marketing speak. They are skeptical of claims that are not backed by transparency and evidence.

The Social Media Factor

Both generations are significantly more likely to share photos and videos of their pets on social media. This behavior creates opportunities for brands that understand how to engage authentically:

• TikTok has emerged as a powerful force in pet care, influencing product discovery and driving direct purchases
• Influencer pets shape consumer purchasing behaviors, particularly among Gen Z
• 77% of Gen Z use social media to stay informed, and they discover brands primarily through creators and influencers
• Social commerce through TikTok Shop and Instagram is transforming pet product sales from marketing to direct purchasing

Brands that emphasize social engagement and user-generated content have the opportunity to cultivate loyal lifetime customers who advocate for products within their communities.

What Modern Pet Parents Actually Want

Authenticity Over Marketing Claims

Today’s pet parents can spot inauthentic marketing immediately. They grew up with advertising and have developed sophisticated skepticism toward traditional brand messaging.

What resonates:

• Genuine stories about brand origins and values
• Transparency in sourcing, ingredients, and manufacturing
• Real customer experiences shared through reviews and social proof
• Brands that acknowledge trade-offs honestly rather than claiming perfection

What falls flat:

• Generic “natural” or “organic” claims without substantiation
• Mass-market positioning from major corporate brands
• Marketing that talks down to consumers or assumes they lack sophistication
• Obvious celebrity endorsements that feel transactional

Regional and Boutique Brand Appeal

Younger pet parents are deeply attracted to brands perceived as regional, boutique, or craft in nature. This preference extends from pet food to accessories to services.

The appeal of smaller brands includes:

• Perceived higher quality and attention to detail
• Alignment with values around sustainability and ethical production
• Sense of community and shared identity with other customers
• Easier access to brand founders and decision-makers
• Products that feel curated rather than mass-produced

This creates opportunity for emerging brands and regional players, but also challenges for larger companies whose size can work against them with these demographics.

Wellness and Health Focus

Pet wellness has moved from niche to mainstream. The category is driven by products addressing:

• Digestive health through probiotics and gut health supplements
• Dental care (1 in 2 pet wellness shoppers purchase dental products)
• Skin and coat health
• Joint and mobility support
• Anxiety and calming solutions
• Mental stimulation and enrichment

Pet parents are adopting preventive care strategies for their pets that mirror human wellness trends. Marketing campaigns highlighting long-term health benefits resonate strongly, particularly when backed by scientific credibility and transparency.

Premium Positioning Works

Unlike previous generations who might have justified buying lower-quality merchandise because “it’s just a dog or cat,” today’s pet parents are receptive to premium offerings. They feel that higher markups are justified when products offer:

• Better ingredients or materials
• Health or wellness benefits
• Superior experience for their pet
• Alignment with their values around sustainability or ethics
• Quality that reflects their pet’s elevated status in the family

About 42% of dog and cat owners choose to spend more for premium pet food. The pet furniture category is expanding rapidly as consumers purchase luxury beds, designer crates, and stylish accessories. This represents a fundamental shift in category ceiling.

Pet Product Marketing Strategies That Work

Emotional Storytelling Over Product Features

Smart pet product marketing draws from the same emotional playbook that works for baby and child marketing. Pet parents respond to similar triggers because they genuinely feel parental love and responsibility for their animals.

Effective emotional approaches include:

• Stories about the bond between pet and parent
• Narratives around protection, nurturing, and providing the best
• Content showing pets as integral family members
• Acknowledgment of the joy, comfort, and emotional support pets provide
• Recognition of the sacrifices pet parents make willingly

The key is authenticity. Pet parents can sense when brands genuinely understand their relationship with their animals versus when emotional appeals feel manufactured for commercial purposes.

Social-First Content Strategy

With younger pet parents discovering brands primarily through social media, content strategy must prioritize these platforms:

TikTok and Instagram Reels:

• Short-form video performs exceptionally well in pet categories
• User-generated content receives 8.7x higher engagement than branded content
• Influencer marketing generates up to 18x the ROI of traditional advertising in some categories

Content themes that perform:

• Behind-the-scenes of product creation
• Pet-focused content that entertains before it sells
• Educational content around pet health and wellness
• Community celebration of pet milestones and personalities
• Authentic moments rather than polished productions

Partnership approaches:

• Pet influencer collaborations for credibility and reach
• Customer content amplification to build community
• Creator partnerships that feel organic rather than sponsored

Package Design and Brand Identity

When developing pet product package design and brand identity, consider how the category has evolved:

Visual language:

• Human-grade aesthetics that reflect the elevated status of pets
• Clean, premium design that would not look out of place in human food aisles
• Photography and illustration that shows genuine pet-parent connection
• Color palettes and typography that signal quality over value

Messaging hierarchy:

• Lead with benefits to the pet rather than features of the product
• Emphasize transparency in ingredients and sourcing
• Include sustainability credentials where genuine
• Make health and wellness claims specific and substantiated

Shelf presence:

• Differentiate from commodity products through premium presentation
• Consider boutique or craft positioning even for larger brands
• Enable easy identification of key benefits for quick purchase decisions
• Design for social sharing (packaging that looks good in pet photos)

Values-Based Positioning

Today’s pet parents want brands that align with their values. This extends beyond product quality to company practices:

Sustainability:

• Eco-friendly packaging and recyclable materials
• Ethically sourced ingredients
• Transparent supply chain practices
• Carbon footprint awareness

Animal welfare:

• Support for shelters and rescues
• Cruelty-free practices
• Ethical treatment throughout supply chain
• Portion of sales donated to animal causes

Community building:

• Local involvement and support
• Customer community development
• Shared identity around pet parenthood
• Authentic engagement rather than transactional relationships

Brands like Earth Animal have positioned themselves at the intersection of pet wellness and environmental stewardship, with messaging that runs through every touchpoint from product descriptions to social content.

Common Pet Product Marketing Mistakes

Underestimating Emotional Investment

The biggest mistake in pet product marketing is failing to recognize how deeply pet parents feel about their animals. Marketing that treats pets as property or accessories rather than family members alienates the most valuable customer segments.

Avoid:

• Language that minimizes the pet-parent bond
• Positioning that assumes price sensitivity around pet care
• Marketing that fails to acknowledge the emotional weight of pet decisions
• Communication that feels transactional rather than relational

Over-Relying on “Natural” and “Organic” Claims

Gen Z in particular has grown skeptical of these terms. They have watched brands slap “natural” on products without substantive meaning for years. Simply claiming natural ingredients no longer differentiates.

Instead:

• Be specific about what ingredients are and where they come from
• Explain why specific choices benefit pets
• Provide transparency that enables consumers to verify claims
• Acknowledge trade-offs rather than claiming perfection

Ignoring Social Media Commerce

Brands still treating social media as purely awareness-building are missing the evolution toward direct commerce. TikTok Shop and Instagram shopping have transformed social platforms into full sales channels.

Adapt by:

• Enabling purchase directly from social content
• Creating content designed to drive immediate action
• Building influencer partnerships that include purchase tracking
• Measuring social efforts on commerce metrics, not just engagement

Missing Generational Nuances

Millennials and Gen Z share pet humanization values but differ in important ways. Marketing that conflates them misses opportunities:

Millennials respond to:

• Human connection and expertise in interactions
• Quality and luxury positioning
• Cross-selling and upselling around wellness
• Premium experiences and services

Gen Z responds to:

• Transparency and substantiated claims
• Values alignment around sustainability and ethics
• Technology integration and convenience
• Community and identity around pet parenthood

Measuring Pet Product Marketing Success

Key Metrics to Track

Brand metrics:

• Awareness within target pet parent demographics
• Brand sentiment and Net Promoter Score
• Share of voice in category conversations
• Social media engagement and community growth

Performance metrics:

• Customer acquisition cost by channel
• Lifetime value of pet parent customers
• Repeat purchase rates and subscription conversion
• Social commerce conversion rates

Content metrics:

• User-generated content volume and sentiment
• Influencer partnership performance
• Content engagement by platform
• Brand mention growth in pet communities

What Success Looks Like

Successful pet product marketing creates customers who:

• Advocate for your brand within their pet parent communities
• Share content featuring your products organically
• Return for repeat purchases across product lines
• Feel emotional connection to your brand beyond product utility
• Choose your products even when less expensive alternatives exist

The brands winning in pet product marketing are building relationships, not just transactions. They understand that pet parents want to feel good about the choices they make for their animals, and they position their products as expressions of that love.

How Bigeye Approaches Pet Product Marketing

Understanding how people feel about their pets on a deep level is a prerequisite for effective pet product marketing. Surface-level demographic targeting misses the emotional complexity that drives purchase decisions in this category.

At Bigeye, our approach to pet product marketing starts with consumer research through our EyeQ methodology. Before developing creative or recommending media strategy, we identify what actually motivates your specific audience of pet parents. We do not assume we know how they feel about their pets. We research it.

What Bigeye brings to pet product marketing:

Consumer-first strategy: Our EyeQ research methodology captures authentic feedback from real pet parents in your target market. We understand not just what they buy, but why they buy it, what emotional triggers drive decisions, and what values they expect brands to share.

Creative that connects: Our creative team develops campaigns that speak to the genuine emotional bond between pet parents and their animals. We understand the visual language, messaging hierarchy, and brand voice that resonates with Millennial and Gen Z pet owners.

Full-service execution: From brand strategy and package design to TV production, social media marketing, and SEO services, we execute integrated campaigns that reach pet parents across every touchpoint. Your pet product marketing works together rather than in silos.

Category expertise: We are not just marketers who happen to work in pet. We are pet lovers who understand the category deeply. This shows in the strategic insights we develop and the creative work we produce.

Results-focused approach: We measure pet product marketing performance against metrics that matter: customer acquisition, lifetime value, brand equity, and sales growth. Pretty campaigns are nice. Campaigns that grow your business? That is what we are here for.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has pet humanization changed pet product marketing?

Pet humanization has fundamentally transformed what pet parents expect from brands. Marketing that treats pets as property rather than family members no longer resonates. Today’s pet product marketing must acknowledge the emotional depth of the pet-parent relationship, use visual and verbal language similar to baby and child marketing, and position products as expressions of parental love rather than functional purchases. Brands that understand this shift can command premium prices and build loyal customer communities.

What do Millennial and Gen Z pet parents want from pet brands?

Both generations want authenticity, transparency, and values alignment. However, they differ in important ways. Millennials respond to premium positioning, human connection, and quality experiences. Gen Z is more skeptical of marketing claims like “natural” and “organic,” preferring specific transparency about ingredients and sourcing. Both generations discover brands through social media and expect engagement through platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They want brands that genuinely share their values around sustainability, animal welfare, and ethical business practices.

Why is social media important for pet product marketing?

Social media has evolved from awareness-building to direct commerce for pet products. TikTok Shop and Instagram enable purchases directly from content, transforming how pet parents discover and buy products. User-generated content receives 8.7x higher engagement than branded content, and influencer marketing generates up to 18x the ROI of traditional advertising. Pet parents share their animals’ lives extensively on social platforms, creating opportunities for brands that understand how to engage authentically in these communities.

How should pet product packaging and brand identity reflect the market shift?

Pet product packaging should use human-grade aesthetics that reflect pets’ elevated family status. Design should be clean and premium, not commodity-focused. Photography and illustration should show genuine pet-parent connection. Messaging should lead with pet benefits rather than product features, emphasize ingredient transparency, and include substantiated health claims. Packaging should also be designed for social sharing since pet parents frequently photograph their purchases alongside their pets.

What pet product marketing mistakes should brands avoid?

The biggest mistakes include underestimating emotional investment (treating pets as accessories rather than family), over-relying on generic “natural” and “organic” claims without substantiation, ignoring social commerce evolution, and missing generational nuances between Millennials and Gen Z. Brands also fail when they use obviously manufactured emotional appeals rather than authentic storytelling, or when they treat pet parent communities as purely transactional rather than relational.

The Bottom Line

The pet industry has transformed from a commodity category into a $246 billion global market driven by genuine emotional connection between humans and their animal companions. Pet parents, particularly Millennials and Gen Z who represent 57% of owners, do not just want products for their pets. They want brands that understand and share their values.

Effective pet product marketing requires:

• Genuine understanding of the pet-parent emotional bond
• Authenticity and transparency that skeptical consumers can trust
• Social-first strategies that enable discovery and purchase
• Premium positioning that reflects pets’ elevated family status
• Values alignment around sustainability, wellness, and ethical practices
• Creative that resonates emotionally rather than just communicating features

The brands winning in this category are building relationships, not transactions. They understand that pet parents will pay premium prices for products they believe offer their beloved animals a better experience. They know that emotional connection creates loyal customers who advocate within their communities.

Whether you call them owners, guardians, or parents, the humans caring for America’s 94 million pet-owning households represent an enormous opportunity for brands that get pet product marketing right.

Ready to connect with today’s pet parents? Bigeye combines consumer research, creative development, and full-service marketing execution to help pet brands build genuine connections with the audiences that matter most. Contact our team to discuss how we can help your pet product marketing drive real business growth.