October 17, 2025 • 34 mins
This week on Whisker Report host Mary Tan and producer Mark Winter welcome Cori Stoutenberg, Director of PR & Research Marketing at the American Pet Products Association (APPA). Cori shares insider strategies for pet brands, start-ups, and influencers to stand out at Global Pet Expo—from maximizing exhibitor perks and media moments to building smart creator partnerships that actually convert. She also previews The Pet Summit—who it’s for, what you’ll learn, and how to turn takeaways into real PR and sales momentum. If you work in animal welfare or the pet business and want more buzz, better coverage, and bigger results, this conversation is your playbook.
EPISODE NOTES: Expo Edge: APPA’s Playbook for Pet 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: Expo Edge: APPA’s Playbook for Pet 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):
Hey, this is 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 nonprofit or business. Hello everyone,
I'm Mary Tann, the host of the show and the
owner of Whisker Media, a pet public relations firm whose
(00:35):
mission is to help pet startups and animal rescues. Also
joining us is our fabulous producer, Mark Winter of Pet
Life Radio, who gets us to you each and every week. Hey, Mark,
how are you good?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Hey Mary? I see alex Is gone this week somewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yes, yes, alex on is. I'm also normally joining us,
but she unfortunately is not feeling well today, so I'm
kind of solo today.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I heard that through the grapevine that you're going to
make an appearance with Franklin at the Virginia Cat Festival.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, in November, I will be at the Virginia Cat
Festival and it will be so much fun. If you
haven't been to that show, it's a brand new show
and it's kind of like, I would say, the Cat
Con of the East Coast. You know, last year was
their first year and they sold out before the show
(01:32):
even started, and this year they're on their way to
doing the thing that again, and they are on their
way to all their tickets selling outs. So come on over.
I'll be there working with the Cat Writers Association and
also doing some pr for the show, and so I'm
super excited. And Franklin dellan Otan, also known as mister President,
(01:55):
will be there as well, So come and join us,
and you can got their website Virginia Cat Festival, and
you can get tickets there. But we're really honored to
be part of Pet Life Radio, and we today are
super lucky because we have Corey Stoutenberg, who is the
(02:16):
director of Public Relations and Research Marketing at the American
Pet Products Association, which is the countries leading trade association
for the pet industry. Its members include major pet manufacturing corporations,
independent pet specialty retailers, pet service providers, influencers, and many more.
(02:37):
Welcome Corey, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, so tell us how you got hooked up with
the American Pet Products Association.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So it's I think it was just a little bit
of an alignment of the universe. I used to work
in private and corporate events and I loved my job,
but it started feeling very transactional. And I think something
everyone can attest to working in the pet industry is
that at the end of the day, we're all here
because we love our pets. And so something in me
was telling me I needed to change, and I just
(03:08):
had it in my mind. I was like, if I
can just work for something related to pets, I think
I would be a much happier person. And so this
job kind of fell into my lap and next thing
you know, I'm here in the industry and I'm here
to stay. So it's been eight years at APPA and
it's been the best transition into this industry that anyone
could ask for in their careers. So just kind of
(03:29):
an alignment of the universe.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
That is amazing. And you know, every year, APPA is
responsible for a lot of amazing statistics, and every year
the industry keeps growing and growing. And how has that
affected you.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I really think it speaks to everyone's just passion for pets,
and I love to tell stories about how pets are
really transforming people's lives, and I think we can speak
to just the emotional bonds that own owners have their pets,
and that really speaks to how the resiliency of this industry.
And so it's the data really supports how people really
(04:07):
prioritize pet ownership for both their mental health their physical health,
and the data speaks volumes to that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And do you think there's more and more people going
into the pet industry in terms of enterprising new products
and innovation.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Absolutely. I think a lot of a common theme you
see around among products as pet owners who had a
problem and wanted to find a solution that worked for
them and their pet. And so I love hearing the stories,
especially behind smaller businesses, about how people had nothing to
do with the pet industry, they got a dog that
had anxiety, or they needed a solution to a problem
that they had, and next thing you know, they're developing
(04:45):
a product and they're entering this industry and fulfilling really
creative neededs for pet parents. I think what's most exciting
is is that we're not just bettering the lives of
pets in terms of products, but also the people that
care for them. And so there's so many interesting success
stores with small brands coming in and really changing the
landscape about what pet care looks like.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, you know, I know. Like the APPA is responsible
for Global Pet Expo, which is like the biggest trade show,
am I correct in the United States. What are some
of the things like what can the APPA provide a
small manufacturer? How can they use you use your resources best?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
There's a few different options. Obviously, we have our annual
events where we're gathering pet product manufacturers, retailers, media influencers
for free, really concentrated days of networking and business development,
and I think in that time period there's a lot
that even small brands can do. A lot of our
(05:48):
media opportunities, for example, are included in your benefits exhibiting
at Global Pet Expo, So we've got our media and
influencer lists. So there's plenty of outreach in networking that
brands can do ahead of the show to connect with
the right media and influencers that make sense for their business.
And there's opportunities outside of just direct sales and network
(06:11):
with retailers where they can meet in network and build
potential partnerships with influencers. One big shift we've had over
the last few years is the volume of influencer attendance.
We're really trying to bring more opportunities for exposure for brands,
especially smaller brands. We maybe don't have large marketing budgets
(06:32):
to connect with influencers year round, but we create opportunities
at the show where that networking can really benefit their
product and their brand. And outside of that, we offer
many education opportunities. We have the Pet Summit that also
happens the same week as Global Pet expos so it's
a great opportunity to bring more of your team, like
your marketers and your insights people, to get more industry
(06:55):
education and expand your professional development while you're at Global PETO.
And then our research is a big portion of what
is a really great benefit to pet businesses. Every year,
we produce the National Pet Owner Survey, and we break
that up into four reports that come out quarterly across
different segments of the industry. So we've got our shopping
(07:17):
and consumer behaviors, and then we've got reports for each
type of pet and so these research reports are really
great for members to dive into the trends, understand the
stories and the motivations behind what pet owners are looking for,
what they're buying how they're caring for their pets and
really using that to help with leverage business decisions going
(07:37):
forward in terms of product development, sales, and marketing strategies.
So there's a lot of really great resources to help
your business foundationally as a pet brand.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You know what I'm really excited about, Corey, and you
know this, but you guys labeled this the Year of
the cat, right, like cats and cat products and cat
owners are in there's more cat dads than ever. I
think from what I read dot U ownership's kind of flat,
but cat is where the product innovation is. How can
a cat company use this information?
Speaker 4 (08:08):
The oputtrtunities are endless here. I think what's really exciting,
as you said, is from twenty twenty three to twenty before,
we saw a twenty three percent increase in cat ownership,
which is amazing. I think people are really starting to
see cats as real companion animals. People taking their cats
out of the homes on adventures. People are really elevating
their cat ownership, very similar to dog ownership where we
(08:29):
see a lot of that big bump. But like you said,
is the rise of the cat dad, which I think
is really exciting and that can really shift marketing strategies
and product innovation in terms of the types of products
that men might be looking for or different. It's different
marketing strategies. You've got a completely different audience and network,
and so you can really expand who you're speaking to.
You know, we've saw a lot of cat moms have
(08:49):
been very popular and a big topic of conversation over
the past couple years. But now we've got the cat
dad and it's it's a completely different demographic and so
really looking at how your audience is changing and expanding
and maybe how their product needs might be different, and
so it creates a lot of interesting opportunities for brands
to tap into a whole new market.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
One thing I did recently was there was a little
cat rescue here in Minnesota and they were promoting a fundraiser,
and one thing I did was I actually added some
of your statistics about cat ownership into the press release.
You know, I said, the American Pet Product Association says,
you know, cat ownership is on the rise, And when
(09:32):
you pitch that to the mainstream media, they really love
They want that data, right, they want that fax. I mean,
how many Times, Corey Reporters reached out to you and said,
you know, can we have your research? Can we have
your numbers? And I feel like it's not just then
a super fluffy story about cat rescue, but it adds
some meat and like hard news to it. And so
(09:55):
that's where I think your research is phenomenal and you
guys should the only ones that do that kind of research.
And by correct.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Yeah, so we have been producing I don't want to
miss quote, but it's been several decades we've producing this survey,
the National Pet Owner Survey. Recently, I think in twenty
twenty three, we started producing it annually instead of biennially.
So it's been really exciting to see really dial in
to really even just micro shifts from year to year
to see kind of where products are becoming more popular
(10:24):
or where different shopping behaviors are shifting. And generational trends
are really exciting topic. Right now. We look at gen
Z who's taking over pet ownership. They're kre into pet
ownership at a much younger age than other generations. It
seems to be a priority for them as they enter adulthood,
and so there's just really interesting and compelling stories that
(10:44):
I think brands want to tell in terms of that
support their product development, and then also that that media
are really interested in seeing culturally how pets have really
been adopted as part of the family. There's not just
or not just compaying in animals. They're a child, as
a brother or sister.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I've got I've got like my family dog who's like
she's like my sister dog, you know. And I think
that it really just really is an interesting cultural shift
in terms of how people approach the care for their pets.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Oh yeah, definitely for our overseas pet part product manufacturers.
Is there anything out there for like other countries.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Art is explicitly for a US pet ownership Off the
top of my head, I don't know internationally kind of
what sort of pet ownership trends might be able to
refer to, but even our international members have will find
a lot of value in our data reports, especially if
they're trying to enter US markets or looking to grow
in US markets. Our reports end up being very valuable
(11:44):
to our international members as well, who are really trying
to penetrate the US pet market.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh I bet, I bet there's I mean, we represent
companies that are trying to launch their products in the US.
So you must be like, do you get a lot
of request US for pr like resources to help these
companies when they try to market in the US.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
So our members receive, depending on the tier of membership,
can receive either all reports complimentary or reports at a
discounted price. Our State of the Industry report, which goes
into economic impact of the industry, consumer shopping trends, and
things like that in generational trends, is all complimentary to
our members, So they're able to go into their portal
(12:29):
and access these insights at the click of a few
buttons to be able to leverage an over two hundred
page report immediately to start working on their market strategy
for US. So that's something that's easily accessible to our members.
That's really great value for them included in their membership.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
All right, well, this is so fascinating. We're here with
Corey Stoutenberg of the American fet Products Association. We are
going to take a quick break and when we come back,
we're going to talk about influencers.
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Speaker 2 (13:57):
And we're back with Corey of Can Pet Products Associations. Corey,
let's switch into influencers. How should pet brands work with them?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
So, I think, especially for brands who maybe don't have
as much experience working with influencers, Global pot Expo is
a great place for them to start. That's where you'll
be able to meet people in person and really start
building on one relationships with influencers. We have our registered
influencer list that's given out for free to all of
our exhibitors. They can download it in real time as
(14:31):
they're preparing for their show and use that to start
outreach ahead of the show, set up meetings while they're
at the show, and also just get a sense of
the types of influencers that are going to be there
and who they might want to work with. So it
creates free networking opportunities for them to meet with any
and all types of influencers. We've got obviously a lot
(14:52):
of dogcat influencers. We've even had a rapid influencer at
the show. I mean, there's really quite a range available,
and so my biggest suggestion to brand is to really
consider investing in bringing more than just your sales team
to Global pet Expo. There's a lot of value in
bringing your marketing team, whether that's your if you have
someone who works directly with influencer marketing on your team,
(15:13):
or if you have a social media person who's familiar
working with influencers. That is my biggest suggestion for brand
is making sure you have someone available who knows how
to talk and network with influencers and understands what your
strategy is in terms of influencer marketing.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And can you tell.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Us a little bit.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I've had questions how does APPA vet the influencers.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
So we have a qualification process. We have a minimum
follower requirement of ten thousand, They have to have an
engaging rate between one point five and two percent, and
they have to be either actively talking about promoting products
the pet industry, pet products and brands and things like that.
So we're really looking to make sure that the quality
(15:55):
and the level of influencers is at a caliber that
our brands want to work with. So we're vetting each
everyone that's coming into the door and making sure that
we're delivering a quality experience for both the influencers and
the brands.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
So can you tell us, like, what are some of
the biggest mistakes that you see pet brands make when
working with influencers or in the media.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
I would say it's not a mistake, but the biggest
suggestion is that if you do not have your marketing
team there is to make sure that your sales team
is at least prepared with a few lines or just
an intro and information that is relevant to influencers. So,
even if your sales team is not necessarily equipped or
available to talk to influencers and media, making sure that
(16:36):
they understand that there is a media and influencer presence
there and what information they should have, either it's contact information,
for someone that's available back at the office, or some
sort of you know, one page about your brand or
one a few sentences that can really at least pitch
an idea about what your brand is to influencers. So
just making sure that your sales team is equipped and
(16:58):
prepared to at least be able to have a quick
introduction with media and influencers for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
And then in terms of giving product samples to influencers
in media, what would you suggest, like just hand them
the product or would you suggest a media kit or
a swag bag field of you know, branded merchandise from
the company.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I think it's really up to the discretion of the brand,
you know, depending on budget and what aligns with their
strategy for the show. My suggestion at a minimum is
at least to have an area or a product set
a side that they could test at the show. So
even if you don't have the budget to send them
home with a swag bag or samples, at least have
something available where they can test out the product to
(17:46):
get a feel for it. More than likely they have
their pet with them there, so they'll want to see
how their pet likes the product, how it works. More
often than not, they're capturing content and real time to
share with their audience while they're out the show. So
just giving them an opportunity to talk about the product
and test it out even if they're not taking it
(18:06):
home with them, I think is really great value because
you've got that organic interaction with the influencer and therefore
you have their entire audience at your disposal as well.
So that's my biggest suggestion is just being prepared to
have them interact with your product at the show, and
if you have a media kit that they want to take,
or at least a business card for your influencer marketing
(18:28):
team or your social media person, that's always not at
a plus. But just creating an experience that your booth
are able to interact with your product while speaking directly
to their audience, because again they're there capturing content and
sharing products in real time with their audience, I think
is a great way and very easy way to in
a low budget way to interact with influencers at the show.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
That's awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:50):
You know.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
The other thing is I've noticed like a lot of
pet brands don't even know that there's a press room.
Can brands go in there and hang out and try
to recruit reporters and influencers.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
I highly suggest stopping by the media lounge. One opportunity
that we have is we have these display bins where
exhibitors can drop off media kits at the media Lounge,
and so media will come to the lounge to check
in at the show, pick up their badge, and then
they'll take a look at these media kits and often
grab them on their way to the floor, so they
can get a sense of kind of what's out there
(19:22):
before they even start walking down the show floor. So
that's another really great tangible way to get your product
or your brand in front of media before they've even
entered the show for itself.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Wow, that's amazing. Well, we're going to take another quick break,
but when we come back, we're going to talk more
with Corey about pet pr and the American Pet Products Association.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
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Speaker 6 (20:01):
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Speaker 2 (20:07):
Com and we're back with Corey again. So Corey tell
us about what are some things that you think brands
can do throughout the year in fact to prepare for
(20:28):
an exhibit at Global Pet Expo.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Yeah, I think in terms of a pr their outreach
can start even now going into the holidays. My my biggest
tip is if there's influencers or media that you want
to see at the show, and you're launching a new product,
or you've got a great story that's going to be
coming out while we're doing all of our outreach and
pitching and media invites, there's great value in brands doing
(20:56):
that themselves too. So if there's someone that they want
to see at the show, that pre show outreaches invaluable.
So if there's an influencer that you want to meet,
reaching out on social media ahead of the show and
inviting them and making sure they know how to register
is a great way to make sure that you're getting
the engagement that you want at the event itself, and
so that pre show media outreach is really invaluable. We
(21:16):
also offer several opportunities to promote any product launches that
you have at the show. We've got the New Product
Media Guide, and then we've also got a pitch opportunity
where brands can write a short pitch that we share
with registered media influencers about either stopping by their booth
or coming to visit and view a new product, or
(21:37):
if you're having an event at your booth, that's a
great way to pitch to media attending the show as well.
And that's all really part part part that you could
integrate into your PR strategy going into Global Pet Expo.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Okay, so I see a lot of small pet brands,
and you know, it can be kind of intimidating to
see you've got the Purinas, the Mars that they have
the huge, you know, half a football field size booth
and that sort of thing, and you're this little tiny
pet company that's just you know, launching a new litter scoop.
(22:10):
How do you get over that fear? Like, you know,
if you're kind of shy and you're kind of like,
do you have any advice for the people that just
feel overwhelmed and maybe you know, kind of lack that
self confidence.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
I think authenticity goes a long way in twenty twenty five.
I also, I think outside of just being physically present
at your booth, also also making sure that you have
a digital presence at the show can really help grab
attention of people that are walking the show, for especially
when you're talking about media and influencers. So I find
(22:43):
even some of the smallest booths have been so successful
when they're also at the same time maybe posting fun
content about their booth on social media. So maybe maybe
talking on a mount of people is a little more challenging,
but maybe creating some sort of fun video for so
social media to show what's going on and what's exciting
at your booth can help at least drive some engagement
(23:05):
to people who maybe aren't laying eyes at your booth
walking around, but they're on the opposite end of the show,
for they see your folk posting a fun video at
your booth and are really excited to see kind of
what's going on there, what the product is. So I
think making sure you have more of a three sixty
approach to your presence at the show is a great
way to quit your own buzz about your booth outside
(23:25):
of just your physical presence.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
So you really need to know, like to get the
right hashtag right so they show up. What is typically
the hashtag that you guys use where people can see
all of that.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Hashtag Global Put Expo every year. It's just just the
way to go. But I think also just it's three
really concentrated days of excitement, and so making sure that
you're engaging with the feed on social media will help
get your content in front of other people that are
also engaging with Global Put Expo on social media. So
I think having that added digital presence when you're at
(23:57):
the show physically is a great way to create more
buzz for your brand.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
So another thing I've noticed, Corey is that sometimes and
I see this a lot with the overseas exhibitors, they
just sit at their booths and they're on their phones
and they're not even looking up when people walk by, right,
And it's like, you're paying all this money to be there,
get out there, and nobody's going to come to your
(24:22):
booth if you don't engage. And I find that to
be the case with especially the Chinese exhibitors. And I
don't know if that's because there's a language barrier or something,
but they're always like just on their phones, they don't
even look up when you And so that's a big lesson,
like get out there and engage. And I also found
(24:42):
like the ones that are on are kind of in
the corner booths and they they're kind of standing in
the aisles, Like you need to get people into your booth. Now,
do you think having like happy hours and like an
event or a press conference, do you think that helps
create buzz in your booth?
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Definitely. I think that scheduling an event, especially based off
of like who your audience is, Like if it's a
media event and you want to show a product demonstration,
I think that's a really great way to get a
concentrated group of people at your booth and get more
traffic at your booth. But I also think really focusing on,
as you said, engagement is really important when you're standing
(25:22):
in your booth, Really focusing on training ahead of the
show to make sure that your team feels confident and
empowered and able to engage with people and also knows
what to do when there might be a lull and
how to handle that and how to still have a
presence that invites people while you're kind of managing sometimes
the ebbs and flows of traffic. And so there's a
(25:43):
lot of value in that kind of training as well.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And tell me I might be wrong on this, but
there are resources on the appa's dashboard when you sign
up to exhibit, like how to write a press release
and that sort of thing. Am I correct?
Speaker 4 (25:58):
So we have a PR guide that will help you
with how to write a media pitch, how to write
a press release, some suggestions on PR strategies you can
implement at the show. And we also have an Exhibitor
Resource Center for first time exhibitors that provides them with
materials from anywhere on you know, how to properly budget
(26:19):
for your exhibit, how to empower your sales team to
manage your booth. Confidently, there's a whole range of resources
that can really help exhibitors with their planning and strategy
for their show.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
What about networking and some of the events that are
traditionally held every year at your event.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
My biggest hip is if you can get there, you
should go. I think there's always value in attending a
networking event. We've got different education opportunities, so we've got
some more intimate settings where you can meet people, and
we've got the larger events like the Unleashed Party as well.
And so my biggest tip is especially you know, not
just for your brand, but for your own personal development
(26:57):
is just to get yourself out there and just talk
to people. That's the only way you're gonna that's the
only way you're gonna be able to network successfully. Just
just start talking.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, So what's in store for this year's Global Pet
Can you give us some hints or some a little preview.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
So we've got some exciting new developments this year. My
personal favorite is the Global Pet ful Ince Studio, which
is really going to highlight the benefits of creator marketing
influencer marketing. I can't reveal too much yet, but it's
going to be a really exciting new space that I'm
really excited for both brands and influencers to be able
to leverage on the show floor.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
And what about the PET Summit. Is that happening this
year too?
Speaker 4 (27:40):
That's happening as well. We are, if we haven't yet already,
we'll be launching the call for speakers soon, so anyone
who's interested in speaking at the event definitely keep an
eye out for that announcement. We've got some exciting changes
in some of the programming and more will be revealed
in the coming weeks.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Wow, Well, we're really excited. Mark goes every year Mark,
how many Global Pets have you been to?
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Our first one was in twenty ten, so fifteen years. Yeah,
we're one of the cheees ehh yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
I mean Global Pet is definitely something that you have
to go to if you're in the pet industry. It's
so I have a question everybody wants to know, is
Global Pet different than Super Zoo or and also which
show is bigger? There's always been a debate about.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
That, So off the top of my head, I don't
know in terms of size of square footage of Super Zoo,
but we've hit twenty thousand attendance at Global pod Expo
this year, affecting twenty two thousand plus at twenty twenty six,
which is really exciting growth. We're finding that not only
you know, we've got a strong retailer presence or influencer presence,
(28:52):
and our media presence has grown drastically over the last
few years, but also more people are bringing more brands
are bringing more of their team at the show, so
you're really getting a wide variety of types of people
in the industry to network with. So I think that
there's a lot of great opportunity to not only as
a brand, network with retailers but also network with other
(29:15):
marketers that work for other pet brands. And I think
having just a wider variety of types of professionals at
the show is what makes Global Pet Expo very unique.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
So I've also heard like Global Pet has more of
the international audience. Am I correct on that you have?
Speaker 4 (29:30):
I don't off the top of my head, it's I
think I think it was like eighty seven countries in
attendance this past year. I believe I'd have to go
back and check. But we've got a fantastic international presence,
which we're really always really excited to see how that
unfolds your year.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Wow. And you know a lot of people think APPA
might be based in Orlando, but that's just because Orlando
has a huge convention setter that can handle that many
people correct.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
It is the only space that can fit us at
the moment. So that's why that's why we're in Orlando.
But our offices are actually in Connecticut, which many people
don't know. Some of our team is hybrid, and then
we've got our team is scattered throughout the country. We've
got some staff in Florida, We've got some on the
West Coast, we have someone in Colorado. We've got people
all over so we have multiple time zones working to
(30:22):
make Global Putexpo happen every year.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Wow. So in your PR job besides Global Pet, is
that what your job is solely focused on or are
you heading up the research too?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
So I'm also overseeing appa's PR as in terms of
elevating our research and our pet ownership data throughout the year.
We also work with opportunities to elevate our members' products
throughout the year. And then I'm also leading all of
the marketing for research products and really having a hand
in the product development and what the products look like
(30:57):
for members, making sure that we're create things that really
have value and deliver results for our members.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
So those that are maybe on the fence about joining
the APPA, all the startups out there, it is a
hefty investment, but you know, can you tell people why
it is worth it to join the APPA.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Yeah, we actually have a new and really great startup program.
So what that includes right now is a basic tier
membership exhibiting at in the Startup pavilion at Global Products
BO and that basic membership includes all of our basic
membership tier products and so you get a really robust
opportunity for your investment for that first year that could
(31:40):
really benefit a startup business. So we're really trying to
find programs that support smaller businesses trying to get their
foot in the door. And so I think it's a
great first year investment for small businesses and startups to
get their presence out there. We have a great membership
team who's really hands on with our startups that could
(32:00):
really help, really hands on in personal relationships with our
team as well, and so you know, people think we're
this big show, but we're not actually that big of
a team. I think we've forgot about thirty people and
we're all very heavily involved in the success of our members.
That is what drives us to do what we do
every day. And so I think knowing that you've got
a small team behind you really pushing for your success
(32:22):
in the industry is what really sets us apart from
maybe other associations.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
And you know, the APPA is always looking for those
positive stories. So if a pet brand startup out there
has something really cool to share, they should share it
with you.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Correct. Absolutely, we actually have opportunities for members to share
with our team aka ME about exciting news and stories
that are happening throughout the year, whether it's a new
product launch or maybe a new initiative or a new
partnership that they're starting. So my suggestion is always reach
out to me and I can definitely make recommendations on
(32:59):
how we can help you elevate your stories and kind
of what you're doing throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
All right, so we've got to ask you this, how
can people get a hold of you and what's the
best way to contact you?
Speaker 4 (33:12):
Absolutely, I'm very active on LinkedIn, so that's always one way,
but they can also always send me an email. It's
Corey cri I at Americanpet Products dot org.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Well, thank you so much, Corey I. You know, I
really wanted you on to give you know, the struggling
pet start up there, you know, some hope and glimmer.
You know, you may not be able to hire a
PR firm or whatever, and I get it right, like,
you got to be scrappy when you're starting out, and
you just gave some wonderful information for people out there
(33:44):
who are just overwhelmed. But don't forget the PR and marketing,
because if people don't know about your product, they're not
gonna buy.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
It right, And this is why I love what I
do is making sure that everyone has an opportunity to
get their product, their story out there, because at the
end of the day, we all just love our pets
and we want things out there that make their lives better.
So that's the exciting part about my job. So that's
what I'm here for.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
That's so awesome. 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 lives better for animals.
Do you have a question you would like us to answer,
reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook Underwhisker Media,
or you can just reach out to Corey as well
and we'll try to answer it in a future podcast episode. So,
(34:33):
as we always say, bark loud and per smart. Bye everyone,
see you next time.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radios dot com.
Hey, this is 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 nonprofit or business. Hello everyone,
I'm Mary Tann, the host of the show and the
owner of Whisker Media, a pet public relations firm whose
(00:35):
mission is to help pet startups and animal rescues. Also
joining us is our fabulous producer, Mark Winter of Pet
Life Radio, who gets us to you each and every week. Hey, Mark,
how are you good?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Hey Mary? I see alex Is gone this week somewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yes, yes, alex on is. I'm also normally joining us,
but she unfortunately is not feeling well today, so I'm
kind of solo today.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I heard that through the grapevine that you're going to
make an appearance with Franklin at the Virginia Cat Festival.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, in November, I will be at the Virginia Cat
Festival and it will be so much fun. If you
haven't been to that show, it's a brand new show
and it's kind of like, I would say, the Cat
Con of the East Coast. You know, last year was
their first year and they sold out before the show
(01:32):
even started, and this year they're on their way to
doing the thing that again, and they are on their
way to all their tickets selling outs. So come on over.
I'll be there working with the Cat Writers Association and
also doing some pr for the show, and so I'm
super excited. And Franklin dellan Otan, also known as mister President,
(01:55):
will be there as well, So come and join us,
and you can got their website Virginia Cat Festival, and
you can get tickets there. But we're really honored to
be part of Pet Life Radio, and we today are
super lucky because we have Corey Stoutenberg, who is the
(02:16):
director of Public Relations and Research Marketing at the American
Pet Products Association, which is the countries leading trade association
for the pet industry. Its members include major pet manufacturing corporations,
independent pet specialty retailers, pet service providers, influencers, and many more.
(02:37):
Welcome Corey, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, so tell us how you got hooked up with
the American Pet Products Association.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So it's I think it was just a little bit
of an alignment of the universe. I used to work
in private and corporate events and I loved my job,
but it started feeling very transactional. And I think something
everyone can attest to working in the pet industry is
that at the end of the day, we're all here
because we love our pets. And so something in me
was telling me I needed to change, and I just
(03:08):
had it in my mind. I was like, if I
can just work for something related to pets, I think
I would be a much happier person. And so this
job kind of fell into my lap and next thing
you know, I'm here in the industry and I'm here
to stay. So it's been eight years at APPA and
it's been the best transition into this industry that anyone
could ask for in their careers. So just kind of
(03:29):
an alignment of the universe.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
That is amazing. And you know, every year, APPA is
responsible for a lot of amazing statistics, and every year
the industry keeps growing and growing. And how has that
affected you.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I really think it speaks to everyone's just passion for pets,
and I love to tell stories about how pets are
really transforming people's lives, and I think we can speak
to just the emotional bonds that own owners have their pets,
and that really speaks to how the resiliency of this industry.
And so it's the data really supports how people really
(04:07):
prioritize pet ownership for both their mental health their physical health,
and the data speaks volumes to that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And do you think there's more and more people going
into the pet industry in terms of enterprising new products
and innovation.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Absolutely. I think a lot of a common theme you
see around among products as pet owners who had a
problem and wanted to find a solution that worked for
them and their pet. And so I love hearing the stories,
especially behind smaller businesses, about how people had nothing to
do with the pet industry, they got a dog that
had anxiety, or they needed a solution to a problem
that they had, and next thing you know, they're developing
(04:45):
a product and they're entering this industry and fulfilling really
creative neededs for pet parents. I think what's most exciting
is is that we're not just bettering the lives of
pets in terms of products, but also the people that
care for them. And so there's so many interesting success
stores with small brands coming in and really changing the
landscape about what pet care looks like.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, you know, I know. Like the APPA is responsible
for Global Pet Expo, which is like the biggest trade show,
am I correct in the United States. What are some
of the things like what can the APPA provide a
small manufacturer? How can they use you use your resources best?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
There's a few different options. Obviously, we have our annual
events where we're gathering pet product manufacturers, retailers, media influencers
for free, really concentrated days of networking and business development,
and I think in that time period there's a lot
that even small brands can do. A lot of our
(05:48):
media opportunities, for example, are included in your benefits exhibiting
at Global Pet Expo, So we've got our media and
influencer lists. So there's plenty of outreach in networking that
brands can do ahead of the show to connect with
the right media and influencers that make sense for their business.
And there's opportunities outside of just direct sales and network
(06:11):
with retailers where they can meet in network and build
potential partnerships with influencers. One big shift we've had over
the last few years is the volume of influencer attendance.
We're really trying to bring more opportunities for exposure for brands,
especially smaller brands. We maybe don't have large marketing budgets
(06:32):
to connect with influencers year round, but we create opportunities
at the show where that networking can really benefit their
product and their brand. And outside of that, we offer
many education opportunities. We have the Pet Summit that also
happens the same week as Global Pet expos so it's
a great opportunity to bring more of your team, like
your marketers and your insights people, to get more industry
(06:55):
education and expand your professional development while you're at Global PETO.
And then our research is a big portion of what
is a really great benefit to pet businesses. Every year,
we produce the National Pet Owner Survey, and we break
that up into four reports that come out quarterly across
different segments of the industry. So we've got our shopping
(07:17):
and consumer behaviors, and then we've got reports for each
type of pet and so these research reports are really
great for members to dive into the trends, understand the
stories and the motivations behind what pet owners are looking for,
what they're buying how they're caring for their pets and
really using that to help with leverage business decisions going
(07:37):
forward in terms of product development, sales, and marketing strategies.
So there's a lot of really great resources to help
your business foundationally as a pet brand.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You know what I'm really excited about, Corey, and you
know this, but you guys labeled this the Year of
the cat, right, like cats and cat products and cat
owners are in there's more cat dads than ever. I
think from what I read dot U ownership's kind of flat,
but cat is where the product innovation is. How can
a cat company use this information?
Speaker 4 (08:08):
The oputtrtunities are endless here. I think what's really exciting,
as you said, is from twenty twenty three to twenty before,
we saw a twenty three percent increase in cat ownership,
which is amazing. I think people are really starting to
see cats as real companion animals. People taking their cats
out of the homes on adventures. People are really elevating
their cat ownership, very similar to dog ownership where we
(08:29):
see a lot of that big bump. But like you said,
is the rise of the cat dad, which I think
is really exciting and that can really shift marketing strategies
and product innovation in terms of the types of products
that men might be looking for or different. It's different
marketing strategies. You've got a completely different audience and network,
and so you can really expand who you're speaking to.
You know, we've saw a lot of cat moms have
(08:49):
been very popular and a big topic of conversation over
the past couple years. But now we've got the cat
dad and it's it's a completely different demographic and so
really looking at how your audience is changing and expanding
and maybe how their product needs might be different, and
so it creates a lot of interesting opportunities for brands
to tap into a whole new market.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
One thing I did recently was there was a little
cat rescue here in Minnesota and they were promoting a fundraiser,
and one thing I did was I actually added some
of your statistics about cat ownership into the press release.
You know, I said, the American Pet Product Association says,
you know, cat ownership is on the rise, And when
(09:32):
you pitch that to the mainstream media, they really love
They want that data, right, they want that fax. I mean,
how many Times, Corey Reporters reached out to you and said,
you know, can we have your research? Can we have
your numbers? And I feel like it's not just then
a super fluffy story about cat rescue, but it adds
some meat and like hard news to it. And so
(09:55):
that's where I think your research is phenomenal and you
guys should the only ones that do that kind of research.
And by correct.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Yeah, so we have been producing I don't want to
miss quote, but it's been several decades we've producing this survey,
the National Pet Owner Survey. Recently, I think in twenty
twenty three, we started producing it annually instead of biennially.
So it's been really exciting to see really dial in
to really even just micro shifts from year to year
to see kind of where products are becoming more popular
(10:24):
or where different shopping behaviors are shifting. And generational trends
are really exciting topic. Right now. We look at gen
Z who's taking over pet ownership. They're kre into pet
ownership at a much younger age than other generations. It
seems to be a priority for them as they enter adulthood,
and so there's just really interesting and compelling stories that
(10:44):
I think brands want to tell in terms of that
support their product development, and then also that that media
are really interested in seeing culturally how pets have really
been adopted as part of the family. There's not just
or not just compaying in animals. They're a child, as
a brother or sister.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I've got I've got like my family dog who's like
she's like my sister dog, you know. And I think
that it really just really is an interesting cultural shift
in terms of how people approach the care for their pets.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Oh yeah, definitely for our overseas pet part product manufacturers.
Is there anything out there for like other countries.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Art is explicitly for a US pet ownership Off the
top of my head, I don't know internationally kind of
what sort of pet ownership trends might be able to
refer to, but even our international members have will find
a lot of value in our data reports, especially if
they're trying to enter US markets or looking to grow
in US markets. Our reports end up being very valuable
(11:44):
to our international members as well, who are really trying
to penetrate the US pet market.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh I bet, I bet there's I mean, we represent
companies that are trying to launch their products in the US.
So you must be like, do you get a lot
of request US for pr like resources to help these
companies when they try to market in the US.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
So our members receive, depending on the tier of membership,
can receive either all reports complimentary or reports at a
discounted price. Our State of the Industry report, which goes
into economic impact of the industry, consumer shopping trends, and
things like that in generational trends, is all complimentary to
our members, So they're able to go into their portal
(12:29):
and access these insights at the click of a few
buttons to be able to leverage an over two hundred
page report immediately to start working on their market strategy
for US. So that's something that's easily accessible to our members.
That's really great value for them included in their membership.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
All right, well, this is so fascinating. We're here with
Corey Stoutenberg of the American fet Products Association. We are
going to take a quick break and when we come back,
we're going to talk about influencers.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
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(13:24):
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Speaker 6 (13:45):
Talk pets on petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And we're back with Corey of Can Pet Products Associations. Corey,
let's switch into influencers. How should pet brands work with them?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
So, I think, especially for brands who maybe don't have
as much experience working with influencers, Global pot Expo is
a great place for them to start. That's where you'll
be able to meet people in person and really start
building on one relationships with influencers. We have our registered
influencer list that's given out for free to all of
our exhibitors. They can download it in real time as
(14:31):
they're preparing for their show and use that to start
outreach ahead of the show, set up meetings while they're
at the show, and also just get a sense of
the types of influencers that are going to be there
and who they might want to work with. So it
creates free networking opportunities for them to meet with any
and all types of influencers. We've got obviously a lot
(14:52):
of dogcat influencers. We've even had a rapid influencer at
the show. I mean, there's really quite a range available,
and so my biggest suggestion to brand is to really
consider investing in bringing more than just your sales team
to Global pet Expo. There's a lot of value in
bringing your marketing team, whether that's your if you have
someone who works directly with influencer marketing on your team,
(15:13):
or if you have a social media person who's familiar
working with influencers. That is my biggest suggestion for brand
is making sure you have someone available who knows how
to talk and network with influencers and understands what your
strategy is in terms of influencer marketing.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And can you tell.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Us a little bit.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I've had questions how does APPA vet the influencers.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
So we have a qualification process. We have a minimum
follower requirement of ten thousand, They have to have an
engaging rate between one point five and two percent, and
they have to be either actively talking about promoting products
the pet industry, pet products and brands and things like that.
So we're really looking to make sure that the quality
(15:55):
and the level of influencers is at a caliber that
our brands want to work with. So we're vetting each
everyone that's coming into the door and making sure that
we're delivering a quality experience for both the influencers and
the brands.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
So can you tell us, like, what are some of
the biggest mistakes that you see pet brands make when
working with influencers or in the media.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
I would say it's not a mistake, but the biggest
suggestion is that if you do not have your marketing
team there is to make sure that your sales team
is at least prepared with a few lines or just
an intro and information that is relevant to influencers. So,
even if your sales team is not necessarily equipped or
available to talk to influencers and media, making sure that
(16:36):
they understand that there is a media and influencer presence
there and what information they should have, either it's contact information,
for someone that's available back at the office, or some
sort of you know, one page about your brand or
one a few sentences that can really at least pitch
an idea about what your brand is to influencers. So
just making sure that your sales team is equipped and
(16:58):
prepared to at least be able to have a quick
introduction with media and influencers for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
And then in terms of giving product samples to influencers
in media, what would you suggest, like just hand them
the product or would you suggest a media kit or
a swag bag field of you know, branded merchandise from
the company.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I think it's really up to the discretion of the brand,
you know, depending on budget and what aligns with their
strategy for the show. My suggestion at a minimum is
at least to have an area or a product set
a side that they could test at the show. So
even if you don't have the budget to send them
home with a swag bag or samples, at least have
something available where they can test out the product to
(17:46):
get a feel for it. More than likely they have
their pet with them there, so they'll want to see
how their pet likes the product, how it works. More
often than not, they're capturing content and real time to
share with their audience while they're out the show. So
just giving them an opportunity to talk about the product
and test it out even if they're not taking it
(18:06):
home with them, I think is really great value because
you've got that organic interaction with the influencer and therefore
you have their entire audience at your disposal as well.
So that's my biggest suggestion is just being prepared to
have them interact with your product at the show, and
if you have a media kit that they want to take,
or at least a business card for your influencer marketing
(18:28):
team or your social media person, that's always not at
a plus. But just creating an experience that your booth
are able to interact with your product while speaking directly
to their audience, because again they're there capturing content and
sharing products in real time with their audience, I think
is a great way and very easy way to in
a low budget way to interact with influencers at the show.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
That's awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:50):
You know.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
The other thing is I've noticed like a lot of
pet brands don't even know that there's a press room.
Can brands go in there and hang out and try
to recruit reporters and influencers.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
I highly suggest stopping by the media lounge. One opportunity
that we have is we have these display bins where
exhibitors can drop off media kits at the media Lounge,
and so media will come to the lounge to check
in at the show, pick up their badge, and then
they'll take a look at these media kits and often
grab them on their way to the floor, so they
can get a sense of kind of what's out there
(19:22):
before they even start walking down the show floor. So
that's another really great tangible way to get your product
or your brand in front of media before they've even
entered the show for itself.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Wow, that's amazing. Well, we're going to take another quick break,
but when we come back, we're going to talk more
with Corey about pet pr and the American Pet Products Association.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
Spanning the planets and the planets. You've landed at the
pet Entertainment Center of the Universe, I learn the paparazzi.
This is pet Life Radio, the Ultimate Animal advant.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
Let's talk past.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
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Speaker 6 (20:04):
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Speaker 2 (20:07):
Com and we're back with Corey again. So Corey tell
us about what are some things that you think brands
can do throughout the year in fact to prepare for
(20:28):
an exhibit at Global Pet Expo.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Yeah, I think in terms of a pr their outreach
can start even now going into the holidays. My my biggest
tip is if there's influencers or media that you want
to see at the show, and you're launching a new product,
or you've got a great story that's going to be
coming out while we're doing all of our outreach and
pitching and media invites, there's great value in brands doing
(20:56):
that themselves too. So if there's someone that they want
to see at the show, that pre show outreaches invaluable.
So if there's an influencer that you want to meet,
reaching out on social media ahead of the show and
inviting them and making sure they know how to register
is a great way to make sure that you're getting
the engagement that you want at the event itself, and
so that pre show media outreach is really invaluable. We
(21:16):
also offer several opportunities to promote any product launches that
you have at the show. We've got the New Product
Media Guide, and then we've also got a pitch opportunity
where brands can write a short pitch that we share
with registered media influencers about either stopping by their booth
or coming to visit and view a new product, or
(21:37):
if you're having an event at your booth, that's a
great way to pitch to media attending the show as well.
And that's all really part part part that you could
integrate into your PR strategy going into Global Pet Expo.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Okay, so I see a lot of small pet brands,
and you know, it can be kind of intimidating to
see you've got the Purinas, the Mars that they have
the huge, you know, half a football field size booth
and that sort of thing, and you're this little tiny
pet company that's just you know, launching a new litter scoop.
(22:10):
How do you get over that fear? Like, you know,
if you're kind of shy and you're kind of like,
do you have any advice for the people that just
feel overwhelmed and maybe you know, kind of lack that
self confidence.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
I think authenticity goes a long way in twenty twenty five.
I also, I think outside of just being physically present
at your booth, also also making sure that you have
a digital presence at the show can really help grab
attention of people that are walking the show, for especially
when you're talking about media and influencers. So I find
(22:43):
even some of the smallest booths have been so successful
when they're also at the same time maybe posting fun
content about their booth on social media. So maybe maybe
talking on a mount of people is a little more challenging,
but maybe creating some sort of fun video for so
social media to show what's going on and what's exciting
at your booth can help at least drive some engagement
(23:05):
to people who maybe aren't laying eyes at your booth
walking around, but they're on the opposite end of the show,
for they see your folk posting a fun video at
your booth and are really excited to see kind of
what's going on there, what the product is. So I
think making sure you have more of a three sixty
approach to your presence at the show is a great
way to quit your own buzz about your booth outside
(23:25):
of just your physical presence.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
So you really need to know, like to get the
right hashtag right so they show up. What is typically
the hashtag that you guys use where people can see
all of that.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Hashtag Global Put Expo every year. It's just just the
way to go. But I think also just it's three
really concentrated days of excitement, and so making sure that
you're engaging with the feed on social media will help
get your content in front of other people that are
also engaging with Global Put Expo on social media. So
I think having that added digital presence when you're at
(23:57):
the show physically is a great way to create more
buzz for your brand.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
So another thing I've noticed, Corey is that sometimes and
I see this a lot with the overseas exhibitors, they
just sit at their booths and they're on their phones
and they're not even looking up when people walk by, right,
And it's like, you're paying all this money to be there,
get out there, and nobody's going to come to your
(24:22):
booth if you don't engage. And I find that to
be the case with especially the Chinese exhibitors. And I
don't know if that's because there's a language barrier or something,
but they're always like just on their phones, they don't
even look up when you And so that's a big lesson,
like get out there and engage. And I also found
(24:42):
like the ones that are on are kind of in
the corner booths and they they're kind of standing in
the aisles, Like you need to get people into your booth. Now,
do you think having like happy hours and like an
event or a press conference, do you think that helps
create buzz in your booth?
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Definitely. I think that scheduling an event, especially based off
of like who your audience is, Like if it's a
media event and you want to show a product demonstration,
I think that's a really great way to get a
concentrated group of people at your booth and get more
traffic at your booth. But I also think really focusing on,
as you said, engagement is really important when you're standing
(25:22):
in your booth, Really focusing on training ahead of the
show to make sure that your team feels confident and
empowered and able to engage with people and also knows
what to do when there might be a lull and
how to handle that and how to still have a
presence that invites people while you're kind of managing sometimes
the ebbs and flows of traffic. And so there's a
(25:43):
lot of value in that kind of training as well.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And tell me I might be wrong on this, but
there are resources on the appa's dashboard when you sign
up to exhibit, like how to write a press release
and that sort of thing. Am I correct?
Speaker 4 (25:58):
So we have a PR guide that will help you
with how to write a media pitch, how to write
a press release, some suggestions on PR strategies you can
implement at the show. And we also have an Exhibitor
Resource Center for first time exhibitors that provides them with
materials from anywhere on you know, how to properly budget
(26:19):
for your exhibit, how to empower your sales team to
manage your booth. Confidently, there's a whole range of resources
that can really help exhibitors with their planning and strategy
for their show.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
What about networking and some of the events that are
traditionally held every year at your event.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
My biggest hip is if you can get there, you
should go. I think there's always value in attending a
networking event. We've got different education opportunities, so we've got
some more intimate settings where you can meet people, and
we've got the larger events like the Unleashed Party as well.
And so my biggest tip is especially you know, not
just for your brand, but for your own personal development
(26:57):
is just to get yourself out there and just talk
to people. That's the only way you're gonna that's the
only way you're gonna be able to network successfully. Just
just start talking.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, So what's in store for this year's Global Pet
Can you give us some hints or some a little preview.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
So we've got some exciting new developments this year. My
personal favorite is the Global Pet ful Ince Studio, which
is really going to highlight the benefits of creator marketing
influencer marketing. I can't reveal too much yet, but it's
going to be a really exciting new space that I'm
really excited for both brands and influencers to be able
to leverage on the show floor.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
And what about the PET Summit. Is that happening this
year too?
Speaker 4 (27:40):
That's happening as well. We are, if we haven't yet already,
we'll be launching the call for speakers soon, so anyone
who's interested in speaking at the event definitely keep an
eye out for that announcement. We've got some exciting changes
in some of the programming and more will be revealed
in the coming weeks.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Wow, Well, we're really excited. Mark goes every year Mark,
how many Global Pets have you been to?
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Our first one was in twenty ten, so fifteen years. Yeah,
we're one of the cheees ehh yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
I mean Global Pet is definitely something that you have
to go to if you're in the pet industry. It's
so I have a question everybody wants to know, is
Global Pet different than Super Zoo or and also which
show is bigger? There's always been a debate about.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
That, So off the top of my head, I don't
know in terms of size of square footage of Super Zoo,
but we've hit twenty thousand attendance at Global pod Expo
this year, affecting twenty two thousand plus at twenty twenty six,
which is really exciting growth. We're finding that not only
you know, we've got a strong retailer presence or influencer presence,
(28:52):
and our media presence has grown drastically over the last
few years, but also more people are bringing more brands
are bringing more of their team at the show, so
you're really getting a wide variety of types of people
in the industry to network with. So I think that
there's a lot of great opportunity to not only as
a brand, network with retailers but also network with other
(29:15):
marketers that work for other pet brands. And I think
having just a wider variety of types of professionals at
the show is what makes Global Pet Expo very unique.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
So I've also heard like Global Pet has more of
the international audience. Am I correct on that you have?
Speaker 4 (29:30):
I don't off the top of my head, it's I
think I think it was like eighty seven countries in
attendance this past year. I believe I'd have to go
back and check. But we've got a fantastic international presence,
which we're really always really excited to see how that
unfolds your year.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Wow. And you know a lot of people think APPA
might be based in Orlando, but that's just because Orlando
has a huge convention setter that can handle that many
people correct.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
It is the only space that can fit us at
the moment. So that's why that's why we're in Orlando.
But our offices are actually in Connecticut, which many people
don't know. Some of our team is hybrid, and then
we've got our team is scattered throughout the country. We've
got some staff in Florida, We've got some on the
West Coast, we have someone in Colorado. We've got people
all over so we have multiple time zones working to
(30:22):
make Global Putexpo happen every year.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Wow. So in your PR job besides Global Pet, is
that what your job is solely focused on or are
you heading up the research too?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
So I'm also overseeing appa's PR as in terms of
elevating our research and our pet ownership data throughout the year.
We also work with opportunities to elevate our members' products
throughout the year. And then I'm also leading all of
the marketing for research products and really having a hand
in the product development and what the products look like
(30:57):
for members, making sure that we're create things that really
have value and deliver results for our members.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
So those that are maybe on the fence about joining
the APPA, all the startups out there, it is a
hefty investment, but you know, can you tell people why
it is worth it to join the APPA.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Yeah, we actually have a new and really great startup program.
So what that includes right now is a basic tier
membership exhibiting at in the Startup pavilion at Global Products
BO and that basic membership includes all of our basic
membership tier products and so you get a really robust
opportunity for your investment for that first year that could
(31:40):
really benefit a startup business. So we're really trying to
find programs that support smaller businesses trying to get their
foot in the door. And so I think it's a
great first year investment for small businesses and startups to
get their presence out there. We have a great membership
team who's really hands on with our startups that could
(32:00):
really help, really hands on in personal relationships with our
team as well, and so you know, people think we're
this big show, but we're not actually that big of
a team. I think we've forgot about thirty people and
we're all very heavily involved in the success of our members.
That is what drives us to do what we do
every day. And so I think knowing that you've got
a small team behind you really pushing for your success
(32:22):
in the industry is what really sets us apart from
maybe other associations.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
And you know, the APPA is always looking for those
positive stories. So if a pet brand startup out there
has something really cool to share, they should share it
with you.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Correct. Absolutely, we actually have opportunities for members to share
with our team aka ME about exciting news and stories
that are happening throughout the year, whether it's a new
product launch or maybe a new initiative or a new
partnership that they're starting. So my suggestion is always reach
out to me and I can definitely make recommendations on
(32:59):
how we can help you elevate your stories and kind
of what you're doing throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
All right, so we've got to ask you this, how
can people get a hold of you and what's the
best way to contact you?
Speaker 4 (33:12):
Absolutely, I'm very active on LinkedIn, so that's always one way,
but they can also always send me an email. It's
Corey cri I at Americanpet Products dot org.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Well, thank you so much, Corey I. You know, I
really wanted you on to give you know, the struggling
pet start up there, you know, some hope and glimmer.
You know, you may not be able to hire a
PR firm or whatever, and I get it right, like,
you got to be scrappy when you're starting out, and
you just gave some wonderful information for people out there
(33:44):
who are just overwhelmed. But don't forget the PR and marketing,
because if people don't know about your product, they're not
gonna buy.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
It right, And this is why I love what I
do is making sure that everyone has an opportunity to
get their product, their story out there, because at the
end of the day, we all just love our pets
and we want things out there that make their lives better.
So that's the exciting part about my job. So that's
what I'm here for.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
That's so awesome. 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 lives better for animals.
Do you have a question you would like us to answer,
reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook Underwhisker Media,
or you can just reach out to Corey as well
and we'll try to answer it in a future podcast episode. So,
(34:33):
as we always say, bark loud and per smart. Bye everyone,
see you next time.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radios dot com.
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