Goal
When we first met the Creator of Dear Dog Treats, he was a one person startup selling dry smoked jerky dog treats in sandwich bags with hand-written labels from the bed of his pickup truck at the local Fort Saskatchewan farmer’s market and off-leash dog park. He asked for “a new look” to attract retail stores while “keeping a farmer’s market feel.”
Situational Analysis
With no additives or fillers, spices, by-products, or unreadable ingredients, DDT treats are all bite and no bark… just locally raised, no-nonsense Alberta beef, goat, lamb, chicken, bison and duck, slowly and uniquely smoked to prevent bacteria while retaining full flavour and aroma, protein and nutrition. The end result is truly food with thought, and a healthy and effective treat, whether to train, reward, or just to please.
Unfussy Recommendations
Given the number of dog treat manufactures competing across North America, the Dear Dog Treats brand must strive to be unique, heartfelt, and memorable…truly serving as a love letter to dogs and dog owners within Fort Saskatchewan and beyond.
In the most spirited and teachable moments… and even in the quietest of moments, life can be as complicated and chaotic as it is beautiful. Love, however, just like a brand as strong as that of Dear Dog Treats, should always be simple, natural and honest. Free from stress or guilt, both love and brand should nourish and teach and give you food for thought. They should be healthy, tender and desirable. And most importantly, they should be…dear.
As a testament to their international award-winning brand, with every online order, Dear Dog Treats hand writes a personalized letter addressed to the dog who will be receiving their delicious treats. These “Dear Dog” letters connect to people in an old-fashioned, heartfelt way, and are gaining fame and winning the trust and loyalty of many new customers and markets.
Output
- Feasibility Study and Business Plan development
- Strategic Direction and Corporate Brand development
- Internal and external communications strategies
- Messaging Platform development
- Visual Identity (logo) system creation
- Targeted advertising and marketing communications campaign conceptual development, design, and production
- Ongoing marketing collateral design and development
- Packaging design and production
- Social Media and PR content creation
- Signage design and production
- Brand Standards (Playbook) / visual identity guidelines development
- Website design and development
The brand initiative and ongoing marketing campaign development was fed by extensive internal and external research, including key stakeholder workshops, SWOT, and discovery sessions, and significant community engagement in the form of online surveys and PR / social media engagement.
Outcomes
From its humblest of beginnings, and despite the adversities faced during the global pandemic and a devastating shop fire that saw the loss of their custom-built smokers, Dear Dog Treats has grown in just a few short years to feature its products housed in nearly 100 retail shops and grocery chains throughout Western Canada, and has even garnered the attention of national distributors who see the value in selling their products across the Country.
Dear Dog Treats has become known for its thoughtful practices which resonate with a new generation of sustainable customers. This includes always sourcing local, using recycled materials where possible for unique marketing, shipping, and POP pieces, routinely hiring inexperienced students and those with special needs, and, through its social media platforms, helping lost dogs and cats find their way home or get re-homed. The company also regularly donates thousands of dollars and pounds of products to local organizations, rescues, and animal foster homes, and re-directs a large portion of its revenues to fund various Fort Saskatchewan community projects.
Testimonial
“They’re the whole package and I don’t have to go anywhere else. Their project management is bang on. They never miss a beat. Their team consistently delivers what they say they will in exactly the amount of time they commit to. There are no delays and they went over and above to deliver more than what was expected.”
Dennis Stelmack
Owner & President, Dear Dog Treats
