April 19, 2025 • 35 mins
Discover proven marketing strategies that drive pet industry success as Shea Russo, marketing leader at Boss Dog and Boss Cat Brands, joins Mary, Alex, and Mark. Russo reveals insider tips on leveraging influencer partnerships, commanding attention at trade shows, and building memorable brand presence. Whether you're an established pet brand or just starting out, this episode delivers actionable insights for standing out in today's competitive market.
EPISODE NOTES: Taking your Brand to the Next Level with Boss Nation Brands
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whisker-report-pet-pr-publicity-pet-life-radio-original--6669416/support.
EPISODE NOTES: Taking your Brand to the Next Level with Boss Nation Brands
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whisker-report-pet-pr-publicity-pet-life-radio-original--6669416/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Live pet Life Radio, Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Whisker Report. We're a new podcast dedicated
to helping anyone in the pet industry, whether you're an
animal welfare or a for profit pet company, get some
pr and buzz for your organization. Hello everyone, I'm Mary Tan,
one of the hosts of the show, along with my
co host alexand Ricard, a cat rescuer and public relations
(00:36):
professional who hails from France but now lives in the
lovely town of Vancouver in Canada.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Boner, Alex, jon Mon I hope you guys are having
a wonderful death. We're here also today with our producer
Mark Winter pet Life Radio, who is demanded to get
us to you each and every week.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Hi everybody, how's it going good?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Which thank god on tap this week with your shows.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
We just released the first episode of Saving the Streets,
a really cool new podcast with Alex as one of
the hosts.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yay, it's a podcast about rescuing animals and CHNR all
around the world, So we're really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, a lot of people don't know that you are
a resident of the world and you travel to third
world countries, first world countries, just rescuing animals everywhere you go.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah, just trapping them in, sterilizing them everywhere I go.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well, we're so honored that both of you are with
us because you can do pr for yourself, and alex
Mark and I are going to help you each and
every week.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
And today we have one of her favorite people to
work with on the podcast. Cheer Brusso is the VP
of Marketing at bus Dog and boss Cat Brands and
has been working there since twenty nineteen.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I believe welcome to the show, Shay, thank you, thanks
so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, we're excited to have you. And I think just
to start off, we would love to know how you know,
how you ended up in the pet industry. I think
it's because of Basil, but yeah, tell us the story.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yeah, so this story takes me all the way back
to high school. So when I was in high school,
I was just looking for a little part time job
and Basel, the owner and founder of bost Nation Brands,
had a different company at the time in the consumer
goods world. It was a Greek yogurt for humans and
he needed a demo person in Seattle, so someone to
(02:40):
go in and hand out samples, so me in high
school that was the perfect gig. So I started working
with him then when I was about seventeen, and fast
forward a couple of years, I was running his demo
company nationally, running thousands of demos a year for him
as his a demo coordinator. And then once he sold
(03:02):
his brand, he launched Boss Dog and Bosscat a couple
of years later and entered into the pet world because
he had a newfound love for all things animals, and
he brought a number of us over from that previous
company and into the pet industry. So I've learned a
ton and since twenty nineteen, like you said, and it's
(03:23):
been very awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Oh my gosh, I had no idea you worked with
him since high school.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, it has been.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah, that has been you know, over ten years now,
almost close to fifteen. I guess that really ages me then, huh.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
But you know what, like it just grows to show that,
you know, you never know what's going to end up
in life, right, Like, would you ever thought that you'd
still be working for him?
Speaker 5 (03:47):
I never would have thought, especially starting in that position.
You know, that's as entry level as it gets. I'm
just doing demos just doing that service and now running
his entire marketing program.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
I never would have thought I would be in this position,
and I'm having a blast learning all things pet and
all things you know, running and marketing strategy and trade
promotions and all that goes into.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Being a VP of marketing.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So Whisker Media has been working with you guys since
twenty nineteen. It has flown by all, really has I
have seen your company grow from I think when I started,
it was just your frozen yogurt yep and your goat's milk,
and now it's like fifty different kinds of products.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
So we have a little over fifty consumable goods and
then over two hundred and fifty tactical hard goods. So
that's our our dog collars, leashes, and harnesses. So we're
sitting at about three hundred skews.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Wow. And talk a little bit about like your growth
and having to market all those products, like how do
you get buds and create the cam paints?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Yeah, so a lot goes into it.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
As you guys know, We've never been a company who
kind of waits until all of our ducks are in
a row before we launch something or else we would
not have three hundred SKUs launched in the last six years.
But it starts just very granularly making sure our formulas
are correct and then putting out all of our marketing
materials and then notifying you guys. You guys are instrumental
(05:24):
in that process of getting the word out. So once
we feel like we have our formula right, the marketing right,
then we come to you and try to get the
word out to the street.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
So there's a lot that goes into getting the word out.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
There's different platforms, different avenues to do so, press releases
is one of the main ones, trade show exposure of course,
and then most recently we're focusing on our digital efforts
and increasing brand awareness and not more so than ever,
just things are changing. Times are changing, and we know
that we can't ignore social media and the digital side
(05:58):
of the world of marketing. So that's kind of been
our strategy overall with launching new products and relying on
our partners, whether that's retailers or our digital platforms to
help us get the word out too, because we can't
do it alone.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
You're talking about the digital side of it, have you
guys been working with a couple of influencers.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Yes, so we have upped our game in the influencer
world really this last year. We've found some really good partners.
We've wanted to find people who we can work with
in the long term. We don't want to just have
a rotating one person one month, a new person next month,
and so on. So we try to work with influencers
(06:38):
over a long period of time, whether that be six months,
a year, or even more. And we've found a lot
of success in that and they're great partners. They truly
believe in the brand and they've helped us get I
think now we're close to the thirty thousand followers on
Instagram and before we started this we were probably at ten.
That's amazing three years ago. How'd you track your results
(07:00):
with influencers? Do you have like a tracking link or
do you use like a code that they can share
with their followers, Like, how did you track the results? Yeah,
we use as both. So we have our link in
bio and we use that to kind of track overall performance,
and then we have coupon codes. That's typically the way
that we do it and measure our return is coupon
codes and we're seeing that that people do want to
(07:23):
use those codes too, because sometimes, you know, you'll see
it on an influencer's platform and you'll forget to use
their code. But more so than ever, I think people
are capitalizing on those rewards by being a loyal influencer follower.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
And you also worked with some celebrities as well. Can
you tell us how that process went. I know you
had a WWE wrestler, I believe, yep, so we work
with Rampage Jackson.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
We started that relationship. I think it was super Zoo
of last year? Was that Super Zoo of last year
or the predik cell.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
He came with us.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
And was our celebrity appearance in the booth, and that
was really really fun. It was a really good opportunity
to have him there, and there was quite a few
people at the trade show who recognized him and got
in line and got his autograph, and that was cool.
I would say the coolest part about that was the
amount of content we were able to generate and we
(08:20):
did some shoots with him and those That content is
driving huge results online in terms of return and just
exposure in general. And thankfully Basil has a lot of
connections because that's how we even met Rampage, and he
was willing to work with us as a friend of
a friend new Rampage and Rampage like the brand, and
so then the rest is history.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Wow, So are you planning any other celebrity kind of partnerships.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
We definitely will do that in the future. I mentioned
that we're focusing on the digital side of things, and
so with that comes quite a bit of budget allocation
towards that, towards that mission. And so right now we're
at a stage where we're trying things, seeing if they work,
seeing if there's return, and then going from there. So
(09:09):
we can't do it all at once. So for now
we have a direction for twenty twenty five celebrities. Isn't
necessarily on that, but I things change.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So you know, I've seen Boss Nation brand just grow
and grow, and I remember when you know, like most startups,
you're kind of like a scrappy little startup and you're
just trying everything. You've seen a lot of success. Now,
what what would be your advice to a startup pet
company that's you know, they're just starting, they just got
(09:44):
their product. It may not even be in stores yet.
What are some things they can do.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah, that's a great question. I think we all want
the answer to that. But in our experience, being willing
to pivot is the most important thing, because you come
into this industry altogether or whatever industry you're in, and
there's different things that are successful in specific industries. So
for us Basil coming from CpG coming into the pet world,
(10:13):
he relied a lot on mentors and people he met
in the industry to guide our direction, really because our
direction has been focused on independent pet specialty stores for
the last six years, and so you know, a lot
has happened in those six years, like a pandemic being
one of them, and all the supply chain issues, and
so through those things, you have to be willing to
(10:35):
pivot and come up with a new game plan and
also lean into what's working. If you're feeling resistance over
a long period of time, then probably not working and
you might need to pivot and come up with a
new direction or whether that's a formulation, whether that's a
you know, your trade calendar, or you know, simply your
(10:57):
overall objectives for the business. So that would be my
general advice. And then consistency and persistence as well gets
the job done.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Shaw.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
We need to take a little break, but we'll be
back to hear more about your strategy.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
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(11:38):
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Speaker 1 (11:58):
Let's talk bets on Petlife Radio dot.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Com and we're back with Chere Russell, the VP marketing
of Buss Dog and Busscat.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Friends.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
See, you were just talking about pet stores and pet retailers,
and I just want to ask you, how important is
it that you build a really good relationships with your
retailers and how do you make that happen.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
That's yeah, extremely important and something we've been working on
very diligently over the last couple of years. I think
that happens simply with good relationships, whether that's at the
sales level or even bringing our owner and founder in
to create those relationships, have those meetings, and being willing
to train the staff at the floor level all the
(12:48):
way up to the manager level. So for us, it's been,
like I said, a big focus and something that we
see returning when we do make those investments in those
needle moving retailer accounts that we need to put all
of our efforts there, make sure they're trained, make sure
they have all the tools that they need to be successful.
(13:11):
That's something I definitely wanted to bring up on this
is the retailer loyalty to brands is something I think
is really important because there is this notion of buying
whatever product is on deal that month, and that does
just create a little bit of a hard industry as
a whole, because consumers coming into the store don't know
(13:32):
what brand they're going to get that month, and then
that doesn't lead to the best partnership really between brands
and retailers. So we're trying to create that loyalty, create
enough trade and promotion in there for the retailer to
be loyal to us as a brand.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
And one thing that I know is particularly unique about
bost Nation is you have a special program called out
your Service correct and you know when you walk into
a store, a lot of times the sales staff, like
if you walk into Target or Walmart and you say
what should I feed my cat? Generally they're going to say, well,
I feed my cat this right, And that's something you're
(14:10):
trying to avoid.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So are at your Service platform.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
We've had it from the very beginning, and essentially it's
meant to be a one stop shop for retailers to
get any support that they could need. It's a very
customizable platform, if you will. If they need a custom brochure,
we do that all the time. If they need a
custom promotion, we also do that. We have some very
(14:35):
fun interactive training platforms. We use one that ask questions
along the way and then they get a reward.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
At the end.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
So we're doing whatever we can to give these retail
staff the incentive and the tools that they need to
help us be successful and help their store be successful.
We've done some really cool things, not to custom Neon
signs that we put up in retail locations. We send
(15:05):
stuffed dogs to stores so they can put our Boss
Tactical harnesses or callers and leashes on there. So it
very much is just meant to fulfill what they might
need for their specific store.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So what's harder to market your tactical line of harnesses
and leashes or pet food my thing?
Speaker 5 (15:24):
It depends in brick and mortar retail, I would say
they're both challenging. Online, I would say it's harder to
market consumables, But if we're talking brick and mortar, there's
so much competition now in the specialty raw category that
educating the staff and using online brand awareness campaigns is
(15:48):
where we really need to put our focus where we
have been putting our focus, because they need to know
why you're different. If they have seven different options in
front of them, they need to know why Boss Dog
and why Boss Cat is the freeze dried raw solution.
And so it's challenged. That's hard to get the word
out there of why that is other than.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
The packaging itself.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
So you got to create packaging that catches the eye
so then hopefully they'll be drawn in to learn more
about your products just by that tactical is also difficult
because of the price point. Just we're a specialty caller
Leash and Harness brand, so comparing us to a fifteen
dollars caller is you know, it's hard for sometimes for
(16:31):
consumers to make that investment. So you know, it all
has its challenges in this specialty world. But I think
we've hit a really good stride with educating. Our packaging
is awesome and of course the value add of our
tactical and consumables. Once customers try it, we think that
we've got them to believe in us.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Oh, Alex, did you have a question?
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yeah, but it's actually a question for you Mary. So
how would you navigate in pr? So what's happening with
the bird flu and the freeze dried and raw food?
Because I know in Canada it's been everybody's like freaking
out about it to feed their cat row food or
freeze dried raw food? And how would you deal with
(17:13):
that as a PR person for the company.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah. In fact, it just got blown up a little
bit more because the Wall Street Journal had an article
yesterday about how the bird was now affecting cats because,
as you know, some cats are free roaming and they
eat you know, they eat birds or their excrement and
then they have bird flu. So I think the number
one thing that people should do when it comes to
(17:38):
raw diets and cats in particular, is most of the
cats affected are outdoor cats, So if you have an
indoor only cat that is not you're not going to
be affected.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And there was also.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Another pet food company, not bost Nation, that was involved
in a recall, but it was shown by the Federal
Trade Commission that they were actually incorrect. That animal was
an indoor outdoor cat. So if you have an outdoor cat,
you need to take precautions. And you know, here at
was scermedia wor firm believer that cats should be solely
(18:16):
inside for obvious reasons. They can get sick, they can
get run over by a car, they get in cat
fights and that sort of thing. But yeah, that's my
advice to raw companies out there is to get ahead
of it and explain the situation. And what they found
is that the cats affected by these raw food by
(18:37):
claims that raw food caused the bird fluent cats is
actually incorrect because these are all indoor outdoor cats and
you don't know what cats get into and it's so easy.
You know, cats love to chase birds, and so a
lot of the research and I believe Pets Plus magazine
put an article out out about it that the findings
(18:58):
were not correct connecting raw food to the bird flu.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Okay, so you would put the word out there just
educating people about the situation just too Yeah, okay, that's.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You know, and I would do that specifically if your
food was part of the discussion. If your food got
into I won't mention what company got called into it,
but they, you know, they absolutely should get out there
and put a statement saying, I mean the cat, the
first cat that got the bird flu has an Instagram
account and that cat is outside all the time. But
(19:33):
you do have to be careful, you know, that's just
the situation. Now, say I wanted to ask you how
big is your marketing department? People are going to ask that.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
So we are very lean.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
It's me and my trustee sidekick, Kaylee. I'm so thankful
for her. I think the amount we're able to put
out is that of a team of five personally, just
because we're or we know how to get the job done.
We work extra and all of that, but team of two,
(20:05):
happily team of two and looking forward to the day
where we can be a team of ten.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, because I think a lot of people think that
you know that you have you know, you're a graphics person,
you have I mean that you have like ten people,
and we.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
Do rely on you know, you guys would be someone
we rely on. We do have a creative team that's
a third party, so they're not directly a part of
our marketing, but they're a hand away for us, and
so they do a lot a lot for us, a
lot of design and creative So we outsource when we
need to, but for the most part, we're a well
(20:43):
oiled machine at you know, just trying to optimize what
we have out there. We recently went through a whole
website redesign, which was a good thing for us, and
that was quite crazy to do that all on our own,
but it was good. It's a good website now check
it out definitely.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
So Mary, I have a question for you.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Yeah, So, what has it been like knowing us from
twenty nineteen and then seeing where we are now and
US US and how we've impacted the industry from your perspective.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I think you are definitely an Alex can attest to
this too. You're definitely, I would say, one of the
top leaders in raw pet food nutrition. In twenty nineteen,
there were very few brands that we're doing it. And
I can tell you that everybody we talked to who's
a natural path or holistic everybody, these people just adore
(21:42):
your product. So we used to work with the two
Crazy Cat ladies and they rave about your product. And
I personally feed Boss Cat to my two little cats,
and I have for quite some time, and I can
tell you I notice the difference. And I'm a firm
believer that a PR person should not represent a company
(22:04):
unless they one hundred believe in the product, because we
can't promote you well unless we use the product. So
every company that we represent, we personally use. And I
just love Boss Cat And when I had a dog,
I used to feed her Boss Dog as well. And
I really like, you're probably the only ones that don't
(22:25):
that have the prebiotic and probiotic gut nutrition and you
put you know, billions of them versus most companies just
put a you know, they say it's probiotic and prebiotic,
but it's just you know, it's it's not to the
level that your product is and if you look at
the ingredients, it's all one hundred percent pure.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
And I've seen it as well, like when we are
at the trade shows and we tell the media or
the influencers that we're bringing them to your booth, they
always get very excited, even if it's like returning ones
if we've seen the media like the past year, or
the influencers. Every time we say we're going to Boss
Dog and Boss Cat, they just get excited anyway because
they know that you're going to have at least one
(23:07):
thing new, right. That's what I think is really important
with you guys is that you always put things new
things out, so they always get really excited. And I've
only heard really good things about your product. I've never
heard something bad about it, which I think is amazing
because that doesn't happen a lot.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Yeah, I appreciate so much exposure that you guys bring
to our booth at these trade shows, because, as you
guys know, the trade show floors are packed, and I
always feel like we get an awesome amount of exposure
from those shows just by people coming by and learning
about what we've launched in the last six months, so
thank you guys for that.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Oh I have a question actually, because I know that
every time at the trade shows you have like, at
least I think for the past two years, you had
like a big like is it a dog.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Or a wolf?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Right?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yes, So we put this werewolf on the top of
our trailer that we have displayed, and it's like a
Halloween werewolf, but we put a boss dog shirt on
him and then our tactical collar and leash.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
So we put that up.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
I think Super Zoo of last year was the last
time because it's quite dangerous for us to be up
there trying to put this thing together. So we have
retired the werewolf and now we have a spinning hologram fan, so,
you know, trying to keep it flashy still but trying
not to fall off the trailer as well.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Do you think it's important for you guys to attract
the attention that way, because I mean, there's just so
many booths, So do you find that it is bringing people?
Speaker 4 (24:39):
I do.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
I definitely think putting something on like high up on
a trade show booth is super important because people are
looking up for numbers on the that are hanging from
the ceiling, so they are going to their eyes going
to be caught by something that's either displayed high or
a hanging banner. They hang the banners from the ceiling,
so you can do that. I think those are crucial
(25:02):
to getting exposure and people walking by.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
All Right, well we're gonna take one more quick break,
and when we come back, we're gonna talk a little
bit a bit more about trade shows with Shane.
Speaker 7 (25:13):
Begging to hear more of your favorite show, Horful. Episodes
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Speaker 2 (25:34):
Talk Past, Let's Done Pets, Talk About Life Radio Headline,
radiot Live Radio dot Com ed her back with Shay
Samuelson Russo, who is the vice president of marketing for
Boss Nation Brands. Shay, when it comes to doing trade shows,
(25:55):
what's your advice out there for other pet companies?
Speaker 5 (25:59):
Yeah, trade shows have changed so much since I've even
been in the pet industry. You know, our first year
was the only year pre pandemic and so that was
entirely different than post pandemic. And so I'm still kind
of learning about trade shows. But for us, we have
to have a solid promotion across all our distribution in
(26:21):
the country, and then we have to be open to
learning and meeting new people at the trade show. Because
when you're busy, when you have you know, only you know,
five or six people to field questions and you know,
B to B connections, it can be overwhelming. But we
have made some amazing partnerships in taking that time to
(26:42):
sit down with passer buyers and learn about what they
have to offer or what they're doing. So my advice
would be to, you know, try to drive that sale
because that's what you're there for, but also take the
time to be open minded to make new connections, you know,
whether that be a business serve or a new distribution
(27:02):
or you know, something else. But that's what we've learned
at least. And you know, we're looking forward to Global
coming up here right around the corner. Yep, yeah, so
that'll be that'll be fun. I heard it's supposed to
be big this year.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Oh that's good.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Yeah, So is there a.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Way you know they it's so expensive to showcase at
these trade shows. Do you have any ways to like,
you know, say you're a small startup just starting out,
so you get the smallest booth. Is there any way
to cut past?
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Yeah, So a way to cut costs would be to
have a modest display, one that is easy to set
up and easy to ship because you know, freight, unfortunately,
is a big factor in getting all your goods where
they need to go. So I would say having a
modest display and letting the products speak for itself is
very important. And also having good representation. There's nothing that
(27:58):
can replace a good product. And then the people in
the booth. So if you have someone just sitting down,
you know, not engaging with people, then it's kind of
pointless to be there. So if you're going there, if
you're a new brand and you're wanting to grow, you're
already taking that step that needs to be taken. And
then you know, like I said, cutting costs by freight,
and then you know where you stay. These hotels around
(28:20):
these trade shows are astronomical, so maybe staying a little
bit farther out, even though you might have to drive
in a little bit, but that makes the world of
a difference as well.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yeah, and they charge you for everything chairs carpeting.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
Yes, so that's another thing we learned too, is to
bring our own. It's cheaper to buy your own table
and chair and ship that I know I mentioned freight,
but this is a circumstance where bringing your own table,
your own shares, and your own furniture you save.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Money in the long run.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
We even invested in our own carpet, so we've taken
it that far as well, because and we paid for
in one show easily.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Oh that's so awesome. Yeah, oh my gosh. So one
last question I have to ask you is how do
you get like your marketing messages into your sales staff,
Like do you meet with them on a regular basis
to talk about like new strategies that you're working on.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Yeah, so we have weekly sales and marketing meetings on Fridays,
and so that's the best way that we do it.
But also whenever we launch a new product, we have
an in depth call with the team going over the
attributes and what our strategy is from a sales standpoint.
So that's our personal strategy for sure.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Oh, I know, I have a question that I thought
Alex would ask, but I'm going to ask it. How
is it working with shelters and rescues and animal welfare
in general, Like how many requests do you get?
Speaker 5 (29:57):
Yeah, so we get you know, at least ten or
more a month of people reaching out looking for support,
and it has been really incredible. Some of the groups
that we've donated to way back in the day, we're
still donating to and have a relationship with to this day.
A group out of Florida comes to mind because I
(30:17):
did meet them at a trade show at Global our
first year. It's called In Harmony with Nature, and the
relationship we've created is just really awesome. They have a
really cool organization and they come by our booth every year.
So it's been a really fun experience to learn about
all these people who need help and need support and
(30:39):
they're doing it in a really wholesome way that it's
easy to get behind groups like that. So from our
business strategy as a whole, we knew we wanted to
have this charity aspect of it, and it's just been
very easy to continue that on for the years.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
And so here's one of my tips for an animal
welfare group that's going to ask a brand for assistance.
Is it's always helpful to read their websites, and I
know you have Boss Dog Cares that's a huge program
of Boss Nation. But it's also helpful to do research
(31:18):
on the founder and Shay correct me if I'm wrong,
Basil's very passionate about veterans and service dogs as well.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
Correct. Yes, yes he is, so his wife served in
law enforcement for a majority of her career. And then
we also our warehouse manager is a military veteran and
serve seven deployments, so we are very passionate about that.
And I think you bring up a good point too,
is learning about the brand, learning about the founder, and
(31:48):
seeing if you're a right fit for the brand too,
because there's a lot of different people, brands doing different
things out there that it might make a better fit
somewhere else, because the last thing a brand wants to
do is say no, and that is few and far between.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
With us.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
If someone's coming to us and asking for help, we're
going to find a way to help them, and that
has just been something that we've stayed to.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
All Right, Well, is there anything else you'd like to
add and tell us where people can reach out to you.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Yeah, So people can reach us on our website or
simply info at bossdogbrand dot com. We're very responsive, we
have good customer service, so reach out to us anytime.
I guess my last question would be for you guys,
is what do you think? Is there anything that comes
to mind that we could be doing better when it
comes to PR.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Do you want to go Alex, go for it?
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Mary, you're the most experienced one.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Well, I think and this is not just bost Nation,
but it's every single pet client we represent. Is you know,
don't forget to include PR in your strategy. PR is
a part of marketing and it has a lot of
amazing benefits. In fact, there's nothing better than a third party,
(33:08):
especially a news organization or an influencer, who is promoting
your brand and perhaps you didn't and you didn't even
pay for it. I mean, that's that's like the best thing.
And so I think like including us earlier in your
strategies or you know, when you're just launching a product,
(33:28):
you know, letting us know right away that that this
product is in the horizons, because then we can start
thinking how can we insert this product into like, for example,
the news of the day So we use a technique
called newsjacking a lot, and it's where we take a
brand and we insert it into the news of the day.
(33:49):
So what might that look like. So it could be
something like, you know, there's a new caller for a
dog that doesn't hurt the dog, and it's easy. I'm
making this up, and you can recall a dog when
a dog is in a terrible situation. So an example
of that is we had a shooting. A police officer
(34:10):
shot a pit well here in Minneapolis because the police
officer thought that the dog was attacking him, but actually,
if you read the animal's body language, it wasn't saying that.
And so what we ended up doing is I was
working with a behaviorists at the time. Is I pitched
that behaviorist to the news media and it ended up
(34:32):
being an educational piece on the signs of when a
dog is going to bite. So you could do something
similar that with a caller that maybe you know that's
easy to grab in the case of a tense situation
or something like that. So that's kind of what I
think in terms of newsjacking.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
I know you've taken a lot off of my plate.
And earlier we mentioned how lean of our internal marketing
team is oh. I appreciate you guys taking things off
my plate, and we'll continue to better include you in
our marketing strategy overall.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
But you know what, you're one of our favorite clients.
You're at the top of the list. Yeah you are.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
I'm glad same.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
All right, Well, that is a wrap for this show.
We're so excited to be doing this for all of
you out there who are making life better for animals.
So do you have a question you want us to answer.
Reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook under Whisker
Media and we'll try to answer your question in a
future podcast episode.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
So, as we always.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Say, bark clouds and per smart.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
See you later, everyone.
Speaker 7 (35:43):
Let's Talk bet every week on demand only on Petlifradios
dot com.
Live pet Life Radio, Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Whisker Report. We're a new podcast dedicated
to helping anyone in the pet industry, whether you're an
animal welfare or a for profit pet company, get some
pr and buzz for your organization. Hello everyone, I'm Mary Tan,
one of the hosts of the show, along with my
co host alexand Ricard, a cat rescuer and public relations
(00:36):
professional who hails from France but now lives in the
lovely town of Vancouver in Canada.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Boner, Alex, jon Mon I hope you guys are having
a wonderful death. We're here also today with our producer
Mark Winter pet Life Radio, who is demanded to get
us to you each and every week.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Hi everybody, how's it going good?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Which thank god on tap this week with your shows.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
We just released the first episode of Saving the Streets,
a really cool new podcast with Alex as one of
the hosts.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yay, it's a podcast about rescuing animals and CHNR all
around the world, So we're really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, a lot of people don't know that you are
a resident of the world and you travel to third
world countries, first world countries, just rescuing animals everywhere you go.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah, just trapping them in, sterilizing them everywhere I go.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well, we're so honored that both of you are with
us because you can do pr for yourself, and alex
Mark and I are going to help you each and
every week.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
And today we have one of her favorite people to
work with on the podcast. Cheer Brusso is the VP
of Marketing at bus Dog and boss Cat Brands and
has been working there since twenty nineteen.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I believe welcome to the show, Shay, thank you, thanks
so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, we're excited to have you. And I think just
to start off, we would love to know how you know,
how you ended up in the pet industry. I think
it's because of Basil, but yeah, tell us the story.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yeah, so this story takes me all the way back
to high school. So when I was in high school,
I was just looking for a little part time job
and Basel, the owner and founder of bost Nation Brands,
had a different company at the time in the consumer
goods world. It was a Greek yogurt for humans and
he needed a demo person in Seattle, so someone to
(02:40):
go in and hand out samples, so me in high
school that was the perfect gig. So I started working
with him then when I was about seventeen, and fast
forward a couple of years, I was running his demo
company nationally, running thousands of demos a year for him
as his a demo coordinator. And then once he sold
(03:02):
his brand, he launched Boss Dog and Bosscat a couple
of years later and entered into the pet world because
he had a newfound love for all things animals, and
he brought a number of us over from that previous
company and into the pet industry. So I've learned a
ton and since twenty nineteen, like you said, and it's
(03:23):
been very awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Oh my gosh, I had no idea you worked with
him since high school.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, it has been.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah, that has been you know, over ten years now,
almost close to fifteen. I guess that really ages me then, huh.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
But you know what, like it just grows to show that,
you know, you never know what's going to end up
in life, right, Like, would you ever thought that you'd
still be working for him?
Speaker 5 (03:47):
I never would have thought, especially starting in that position.
You know, that's as entry level as it gets. I'm
just doing demos just doing that service and now running
his entire marketing program.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
I never would have thought I would be in this position,
and I'm having a blast learning all things pet and
all things you know, running and marketing strategy and trade
promotions and all that goes into.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Being a VP of marketing.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So Whisker Media has been working with you guys since
twenty nineteen. It has flown by all, really has I
have seen your company grow from I think when I started,
it was just your frozen yogurt yep and your goat's milk,
and now it's like fifty different kinds of products.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
So we have a little over fifty consumable goods and
then over two hundred and fifty tactical hard goods. So
that's our our dog collars, leashes, and harnesses. So we're
sitting at about three hundred skews.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Wow. And talk a little bit about like your growth
and having to market all those products, like how do
you get buds and create the cam paints?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Yeah, so a lot goes into it.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
As you guys know, We've never been a company who
kind of waits until all of our ducks are in
a row before we launch something or else we would
not have three hundred SKUs launched in the last six years.
But it starts just very granularly making sure our formulas
are correct and then putting out all of our marketing
materials and then notifying you guys. You guys are instrumental
(05:24):
in that process of getting the word out. So once
we feel like we have our formula right, the marketing right,
then we come to you and try to get the
word out to the street.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
So there's a lot that goes into getting the word out.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
There's different platforms, different avenues to do so, press releases
is one of the main ones, trade show exposure of course,
and then most recently we're focusing on our digital efforts
and increasing brand awareness and not more so than ever,
just things are changing. Times are changing, and we know
that we can't ignore social media and the digital side
(05:58):
of the world of marketing. So that's kind of been
our strategy overall with launching new products and relying on
our partners, whether that's retailers or our digital platforms to
help us get the word out too, because we can't
do it alone.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
You're talking about the digital side of it, have you
guys been working with a couple of influencers.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Yes, so we have upped our game in the influencer
world really this last year. We've found some really good partners.
We've wanted to find people who we can work with
in the long term. We don't want to just have
a rotating one person one month, a new person next month,
and so on. So we try to work with influencers
(06:38):
over a long period of time, whether that be six months,
a year, or even more. And we've found a lot
of success in that and they're great partners. They truly
believe in the brand and they've helped us get I
think now we're close to the thirty thousand followers on
Instagram and before we started this we were probably at ten.
That's amazing three years ago. How'd you track your results
(07:00):
with influencers? Do you have like a tracking link or
do you use like a code that they can share
with their followers, Like, how did you track the results? Yeah,
we use as both. So we have our link in
bio and we use that to kind of track overall performance,
and then we have coupon codes. That's typically the way
that we do it and measure our return is coupon
codes and we're seeing that that people do want to
(07:23):
use those codes too, because sometimes, you know, you'll see
it on an influencer's platform and you'll forget to use
their code. But more so than ever, I think people
are capitalizing on those rewards by being a loyal influencer follower.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
And you also worked with some celebrities as well. Can
you tell us how that process went. I know you
had a WWE wrestler, I believe, yep, so we work
with Rampage Jackson.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
We started that relationship. I think it was super Zoo
of last year? Was that Super Zoo of last year
or the predik cell.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
He came with us.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
And was our celebrity appearance in the booth, and that
was really really fun. It was a really good opportunity
to have him there, and there was quite a few
people at the trade show who recognized him and got
in line and got his autograph, and that was cool.
I would say the coolest part about that was the
amount of content we were able to generate and we
(08:20):
did some shoots with him and those That content is
driving huge results online in terms of return and just
exposure in general. And thankfully Basil has a lot of
connections because that's how we even met Rampage, and he
was willing to work with us as a friend of
a friend new Rampage and Rampage like the brand, and
so then the rest is history.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Wow, So are you planning any other celebrity kind of partnerships.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
We definitely will do that in the future. I mentioned
that we're focusing on the digital side of things, and
so with that comes quite a bit of budget allocation
towards that, towards that mission. And so right now we're
at a stage where we're trying things, seeing if they work,
seeing if there's return, and then going from there. So
(09:09):
we can't do it all at once. So for now
we have a direction for twenty twenty five celebrities. Isn't
necessarily on that, but I things change.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So you know, I've seen Boss Nation brand just grow
and grow, and I remember when you know, like most startups,
you're kind of like a scrappy little startup and you're
just trying everything. You've seen a lot of success. Now,
what what would be your advice to a startup pet
company that's you know, they're just starting, they just got
(09:44):
their product. It may not even be in stores yet.
What are some things they can do.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah, that's a great question. I think we all want
the answer to that. But in our experience, being willing
to pivot is the most important thing, because you come
into this industry altogether or whatever industry you're in, and
there's different things that are successful in specific industries. So
for us Basil coming from CpG coming into the pet world,
(10:13):
he relied a lot on mentors and people he met
in the industry to guide our direction, really because our
direction has been focused on independent pet specialty stores for
the last six years, and so you know, a lot
has happened in those six years, like a pandemic being
one of them, and all the supply chain issues, and
so through those things, you have to be willing to
(10:35):
pivot and come up with a new game plan and
also lean into what's working. If you're feeling resistance over
a long period of time, then probably not working and
you might need to pivot and come up with a
new direction or whether that's a formulation, whether that's a
you know, your trade calendar, or you know, simply your
(10:57):
overall objectives for the business. So that would be my
general advice. And then consistency and persistence as well gets
the job done.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Shaw.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
We need to take a little break, but we'll be
back to hear more about your strategy.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
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(11:38):
and our live radio stream goes out to over two
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Speaker 1 (11:58):
Let's talk bets on Petlife Radio dot.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Com and we're back with Chere Russell, the VP marketing
of Buss Dog and Busscat.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Friends.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
See, you were just talking about pet stores and pet retailers,
and I just want to ask you, how important is
it that you build a really good relationships with your
retailers and how do you make that happen.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
That's yeah, extremely important and something we've been working on
very diligently over the last couple of years. I think
that happens simply with good relationships, whether that's at the
sales level or even bringing our owner and founder in
to create those relationships, have those meetings, and being willing
to train the staff at the floor level all the
(12:48):
way up to the manager level. So for us, it's been,
like I said, a big focus and something that we
see returning when we do make those investments in those
needle moving retailer accounts that we need to put all
of our efforts there, make sure they're trained, make sure
they have all the tools that they need to be successful.
(13:11):
That's something I definitely wanted to bring up on this
is the retailer loyalty to brands is something I think
is really important because there is this notion of buying
whatever product is on deal that month, and that does
just create a little bit of a hard industry as
a whole, because consumers coming into the store don't know
(13:32):
what brand they're going to get that month, and then
that doesn't lead to the best partnership really between brands
and retailers. So we're trying to create that loyalty, create
enough trade and promotion in there for the retailer to
be loyal to us as a brand.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
And one thing that I know is particularly unique about
bost Nation is you have a special program called out
your Service correct and you know when you walk into
a store, a lot of times the sales staff, like
if you walk into Target or Walmart and you say
what should I feed my cat? Generally they're going to say, well,
I feed my cat this right, And that's something you're
(14:10):
trying to avoid.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So are at your Service platform.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
We've had it from the very beginning, and essentially it's
meant to be a one stop shop for retailers to
get any support that they could need. It's a very
customizable platform, if you will. If they need a custom brochure,
we do that all the time. If they need a
custom promotion, we also do that. We have some very
(14:35):
fun interactive training platforms. We use one that ask questions
along the way and then they get a reward.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
At the end.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
So we're doing whatever we can to give these retail
staff the incentive and the tools that they need to
help us be successful and help their store be successful.
We've done some really cool things, not to custom Neon
signs that we put up in retail locations. We send
(15:05):
stuffed dogs to stores so they can put our Boss
Tactical harnesses or callers and leashes on there. So it
very much is just meant to fulfill what they might
need for their specific store.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So what's harder to market your tactical line of harnesses
and leashes or pet food my thing?
Speaker 5 (15:24):
It depends in brick and mortar retail, I would say
they're both challenging. Online, I would say it's harder to
market consumables, But if we're talking brick and mortar, there's
so much competition now in the specialty raw category that
educating the staff and using online brand awareness campaigns is
(15:48):
where we really need to put our focus where we
have been putting our focus, because they need to know
why you're different. If they have seven different options in
front of them, they need to know why Boss Dog
and why Boss Cat is the freeze dried raw solution.
And so it's challenged. That's hard to get the word
out there of why that is other than.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
The packaging itself.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
So you got to create packaging that catches the eye
so then hopefully they'll be drawn in to learn more
about your products just by that tactical is also difficult
because of the price point. Just we're a specialty caller
Leash and Harness brand, so comparing us to a fifteen
dollars caller is you know, it's hard for sometimes for
(16:31):
consumers to make that investment. So you know, it all
has its challenges in this specialty world. But I think
we've hit a really good stride with educating. Our packaging
is awesome and of course the value add of our
tactical and consumables. Once customers try it, we think that
we've got them to believe in us.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Oh, Alex, did you have a question?
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yeah, but it's actually a question for you Mary. So
how would you navigate in pr? So what's happening with
the bird flu and the freeze dried and raw food?
Because I know in Canada it's been everybody's like freaking
out about it to feed their cat row food or
freeze dried raw food? And how would you deal with
(17:13):
that as a PR person for the company.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah. In fact, it just got blown up a little
bit more because the Wall Street Journal had an article
yesterday about how the bird was now affecting cats because,
as you know, some cats are free roaming and they
eat you know, they eat birds or their excrement and
then they have bird flu. So I think the number
one thing that people should do when it comes to
(17:38):
raw diets and cats in particular, is most of the
cats affected are outdoor cats, So if you have an
indoor only cat that is not you're not going to
be affected.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And there was also.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Another pet food company, not bost Nation, that was involved
in a recall, but it was shown by the Federal
Trade Commission that they were actually incorrect. That animal was
an indoor outdoor cat. So if you have an outdoor cat,
you need to take precautions. And you know, here at
was scermedia wor firm believer that cats should be solely
(18:16):
inside for obvious reasons. They can get sick, they can
get run over by a car, they get in cat
fights and that sort of thing. But yeah, that's my
advice to raw companies out there is to get ahead
of it and explain the situation. And what they found
is that the cats affected by these raw food by
(18:37):
claims that raw food caused the bird fluent cats is
actually incorrect because these are all indoor outdoor cats and
you don't know what cats get into and it's so easy.
You know, cats love to chase birds, and so a
lot of the research and I believe Pets Plus magazine
put an article out out about it that the findings
(18:58):
were not correct connecting raw food to the bird flu.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Okay, so you would put the word out there just
educating people about the situation just too Yeah, okay, that's.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You know, and I would do that specifically if your
food was part of the discussion. If your food got
into I won't mention what company got called into it,
but they, you know, they absolutely should get out there
and put a statement saying, I mean the cat, the
first cat that got the bird flu has an Instagram
account and that cat is outside all the time. But
(19:33):
you do have to be careful, you know, that's just
the situation. Now, say I wanted to ask you how
big is your marketing department? People are going to ask that.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
So we are very lean.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
It's me and my trustee sidekick, Kaylee. I'm so thankful
for her. I think the amount we're able to put
out is that of a team of five personally, just
because we're or we know how to get the job done.
We work extra and all of that, but team of two,
(20:05):
happily team of two and looking forward to the day
where we can be a team of ten.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, because I think a lot of people think that
you know that you have you know, you're a graphics person,
you have I mean that you have like ten people,
and we.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
Do rely on you know, you guys would be someone
we rely on. We do have a creative team that's
a third party, so they're not directly a part of
our marketing, but they're a hand away for us, and
so they do a lot a lot for us, a
lot of design and creative So we outsource when we
need to, but for the most part, we're a well
(20:43):
oiled machine at you know, just trying to optimize what
we have out there. We recently went through a whole
website redesign, which was a good thing for us, and
that was quite crazy to do that all on our own,
but it was good. It's a good website now check
it out definitely.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
So Mary, I have a question for you.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Yeah, So, what has it been like knowing us from
twenty nineteen and then seeing where we are now and
US US and how we've impacted the industry from your perspective.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I think you are definitely an Alex can attest to
this too. You're definitely, I would say, one of the
top leaders in raw pet food nutrition. In twenty nineteen,
there were very few brands that we're doing it. And
I can tell you that everybody we talked to who's
a natural path or holistic everybody, these people just adore
(21:42):
your product. So we used to work with the two
Crazy Cat ladies and they rave about your product. And
I personally feed Boss Cat to my two little cats,
and I have for quite some time, and I can
tell you I notice the difference. And I'm a firm
believer that a PR person should not represent a company
(22:04):
unless they one hundred believe in the product, because we
can't promote you well unless we use the product. So
every company that we represent, we personally use. And I
just love Boss Cat And when I had a dog,
I used to feed her Boss Dog as well. And
I really like, you're probably the only ones that don't
(22:25):
that have the prebiotic and probiotic gut nutrition and you
put you know, billions of them versus most companies just
put a you know, they say it's probiotic and prebiotic,
but it's just you know, it's it's not to the
level that your product is and if you look at
the ingredients, it's all one hundred percent pure.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
And I've seen it as well, like when we are
at the trade shows and we tell the media or
the influencers that we're bringing them to your booth, they
always get very excited, even if it's like returning ones
if we've seen the media like the past year, or
the influencers. Every time we say we're going to Boss
Dog and Boss Cat, they just get excited anyway because
they know that you're going to have at least one
(23:07):
thing new, right. That's what I think is really important
with you guys is that you always put things new
things out, so they always get really excited. And I've
only heard really good things about your product. I've never
heard something bad about it, which I think is amazing
because that doesn't happen a lot.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Yeah, I appreciate so much exposure that you guys bring
to our booth at these trade shows, because, as you
guys know, the trade show floors are packed, and I
always feel like we get an awesome amount of exposure
from those shows just by people coming by and learning
about what we've launched in the last six months, so
thank you guys for that.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Oh I have a question actually, because I know that
every time at the trade shows you have like, at
least I think for the past two years, you had
like a big like is it a dog.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Or a wolf?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Right?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yes, So we put this werewolf on the top of
our trailer that we have displayed, and it's like a
Halloween werewolf, but we put a boss dog shirt on
him and then our tactical collar and leash.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
So we put that up.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
I think Super Zoo of last year was the last
time because it's quite dangerous for us to be up
there trying to put this thing together. So we have
retired the werewolf and now we have a spinning hologram fan, so,
you know, trying to keep it flashy still but trying
not to fall off the trailer as well.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Do you think it's important for you guys to attract
the attention that way, because I mean, there's just so
many booths, So do you find that it is bringing people?
Speaker 4 (24:39):
I do.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
I definitely think putting something on like high up on
a trade show booth is super important because people are
looking up for numbers on the that are hanging from
the ceiling, so they are going to their eyes going
to be caught by something that's either displayed high or
a hanging banner. They hang the banners from the ceiling,
so you can do that. I think those are crucial
(25:02):
to getting exposure and people walking by.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
All Right, well we're gonna take one more quick break,
and when we come back, we're gonna talk a little
bit a bit more about trade shows with Shane.
Speaker 7 (25:13):
Begging to hear more of your favorite show, Horful. Episodes
of all our shows are available on demand. Go to
Pedlife Radio dot com to fed our entire lineup of
possome ped podcasts. Also dig us up in iHeartRadio and iTunes.
Let's Talk Pats, lived only from pet Life Radio, Let's.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Talk Past, Let's Done Pets, Talk About Life Radio Headline,
radiot Live Radio dot Com ed her back with Shay
Samuelson Russo, who is the vice president of marketing for
Boss Nation Brands. Shay, when it comes to doing trade shows,
(25:55):
what's your advice out there for other pet companies?
Speaker 5 (25:59):
Yeah, trade shows have changed so much since I've even
been in the pet industry. You know, our first year
was the only year pre pandemic and so that was
entirely different than post pandemic. And so I'm still kind
of learning about trade shows. But for us, we have
to have a solid promotion across all our distribution in
(26:21):
the country, and then we have to be open to
learning and meeting new people at the trade show. Because
when you're busy, when you have you know, only you know,
five or six people to field questions and you know,
B to B connections, it can be overwhelming. But we
have made some amazing partnerships in taking that time to
(26:42):
sit down with passer buyers and learn about what they
have to offer or what they're doing. So my advice
would be to, you know, try to drive that sale
because that's what you're there for, but also take the
time to be open minded to make new connections, you know,
whether that be a business serve or a new distribution
(27:02):
or you know, something else. But that's what we've learned
at least. And you know, we're looking forward to Global
coming up here right around the corner. Yep, yeah, so
that'll be that'll be fun. I heard it's supposed to
be big this year.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Oh that's good.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Yeah, So is there a.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Way you know they it's so expensive to showcase at
these trade shows. Do you have any ways to like,
you know, say you're a small startup just starting out,
so you get the smallest booth. Is there any way
to cut past?
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Yeah, So a way to cut costs would be to
have a modest display, one that is easy to set
up and easy to ship because you know, freight, unfortunately,
is a big factor in getting all your goods where
they need to go. So I would say having a
modest display and letting the products speak for itself is
very important. And also having good representation. There's nothing that
(27:58):
can replace a good product. And then the people in
the booth. So if you have someone just sitting down,
you know, not engaging with people, then it's kind of
pointless to be there. So if you're going there, if
you're a new brand and you're wanting to grow, you're
already taking that step that needs to be taken. And
then you know, like I said, cutting costs by freight,
and then you know where you stay. These hotels around
(28:20):
these trade shows are astronomical, so maybe staying a little
bit farther out, even though you might have to drive
in a little bit, but that makes the world of
a difference as well.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yeah, and they charge you for everything chairs carpeting.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
Yes, so that's another thing we learned too, is to
bring our own. It's cheaper to buy your own table
and chair and ship that I know I mentioned freight,
but this is a circumstance where bringing your own table,
your own shares, and your own furniture you save.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Money in the long run.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
We even invested in our own carpet, so we've taken
it that far as well, because and we paid for
in one show easily.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Oh that's so awesome. Yeah, oh my gosh. So one
last question I have to ask you is how do
you get like your marketing messages into your sales staff,
Like do you meet with them on a regular basis
to talk about like new strategies that you're working on.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Yeah, so we have weekly sales and marketing meetings on Fridays,
and so that's the best way that we do it.
But also whenever we launch a new product, we have
an in depth call with the team going over the
attributes and what our strategy is from a sales standpoint.
So that's our personal strategy for sure.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Oh, I know, I have a question that I thought
Alex would ask, but I'm going to ask it. How
is it working with shelters and rescues and animal welfare
in general, Like how many requests do you get?
Speaker 5 (29:57):
Yeah, so we get you know, at least ten or
more a month of people reaching out looking for support,
and it has been really incredible. Some of the groups
that we've donated to way back in the day, we're
still donating to and have a relationship with to this day.
A group out of Florida comes to mind because I
(30:17):
did meet them at a trade show at Global our
first year. It's called In Harmony with Nature, and the
relationship we've created is just really awesome. They have a
really cool organization and they come by our booth every year.
So it's been a really fun experience to learn about
all these people who need help and need support and
(30:39):
they're doing it in a really wholesome way that it's
easy to get behind groups like that. So from our
business strategy as a whole, we knew we wanted to
have this charity aspect of it, and it's just been
very easy to continue that on for the years.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
And so here's one of my tips for an animal
welfare group that's going to ask a brand for assistance.
Is it's always helpful to read their websites, and I
know you have Boss Dog Cares that's a huge program
of Boss Nation. But it's also helpful to do research
(31:18):
on the founder and Shay correct me if I'm wrong,
Basil's very passionate about veterans and service dogs as well.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
Correct. Yes, yes he is, so his wife served in
law enforcement for a majority of her career. And then
we also our warehouse manager is a military veteran and
serve seven deployments, so we are very passionate about that.
And I think you bring up a good point too,
is learning about the brand, learning about the founder, and
(31:48):
seeing if you're a right fit for the brand too,
because there's a lot of different people, brands doing different
things out there that it might make a better fit
somewhere else, because the last thing a brand wants to
do is say no, and that is few and far between.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
With us.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
If someone's coming to us and asking for help, we're
going to find a way to help them, and that
has just been something that we've stayed to.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
All Right, Well, is there anything else you'd like to
add and tell us where people can reach out to you.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Yeah, So people can reach us on our website or
simply info at bossdogbrand dot com. We're very responsive, we
have good customer service, so reach out to us anytime.
I guess my last question would be for you guys,
is what do you think? Is there anything that comes
to mind that we could be doing better when it
comes to PR.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Do you want to go Alex, go for it?
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Mary, you're the most experienced one.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Well, I think and this is not just bost Nation,
but it's every single pet client we represent. Is you know,
don't forget to include PR in your strategy. PR is
a part of marketing and it has a lot of
amazing benefits. In fact, there's nothing better than a third party,
(33:08):
especially a news organization or an influencer, who is promoting
your brand and perhaps you didn't and you didn't even
pay for it. I mean, that's that's like the best thing.
And so I think like including us earlier in your
strategies or you know, when you're just launching a product,
(33:28):
you know, letting us know right away that that this
product is in the horizons, because then we can start
thinking how can we insert this product into like, for example,
the news of the day So we use a technique
called newsjacking a lot, and it's where we take a
brand and we insert it into the news of the day.
(33:49):
So what might that look like. So it could be
something like, you know, there's a new caller for a
dog that doesn't hurt the dog, and it's easy. I'm
making this up, and you can recall a dog when
a dog is in a terrible situation. So an example
of that is we had a shooting. A police officer
(34:10):
shot a pit well here in Minneapolis because the police
officer thought that the dog was attacking him, but actually,
if you read the animal's body language, it wasn't saying that.
And so what we ended up doing is I was
working with a behaviorists at the time. Is I pitched
that behaviorist to the news media and it ended up
(34:32):
being an educational piece on the signs of when a
dog is going to bite. So you could do something
similar that with a caller that maybe you know that's
easy to grab in the case of a tense situation
or something like that. So that's kind of what I
think in terms of newsjacking.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
I know you've taken a lot off of my plate.
And earlier we mentioned how lean of our internal marketing
team is oh. I appreciate you guys taking things off
my plate, and we'll continue to better include you in
our marketing strategy overall.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
But you know what, you're one of our favorite clients.
You're at the top of the list. Yeah you are.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
I'm glad same.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
All right, Well, that is a wrap for this show.
We're so excited to be doing this for all of
you out there who are making life better for animals.
So do you have a question you want us to answer.
Reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook under Whisker
Media and we'll try to answer your question in a
future podcast episode.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
So, as we always.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Say, bark clouds and per smart.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
See you later, everyone.
Speaker 7 (35:43):
Let's Talk bet every week on demand only on Petlifradios
dot com.
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