Iams is sponsoring Camp Doggie and Camp
Kitty, a no-cost, interactive virtual summer camp for dogs, cats and their owners.
The camps were created by Dog Fancy magazine's DogChannel and Cat Fancy magazine's
CatChannel.com.
David Lummis, Packaged Facts' senior pet market analyst, says he believes the program is a good fit for Iams, which is owned by the Procter & Gamble Co.
"Given the surge in
social network marketing and its growing clout, just about anything that amplifies a company's online interactive experience with customers and potential customers is a net plus these days," Lummis
tells Marketing Daily. "Also, vis à vis other forms of advertising and promotion, initiatives such as Camp Doggie and Camp Kitty can be cost-saving ways to reach a potentially vast market
base not just nationally but globally."
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The program runs through Aug. 31, which is "awards day." DogChannel.com and CatChannel eClub members can sign up for scavenger hunts, paw painting, ghost
stories and more. Members can also earn badges and take quizzes for extra profile points.
Each week new games and activities are introduced for Club Dog and Club Cat campers and their dogs and
cats to enjoy through the schedule of Camp Doggie and Kitty Events. The top seven campers who complete Camp Doggie and Camp Kitty will be recognized on awards day.
Iams has previously partnered
with Petco and Dog Fancy to sponsor a three-month long "Dog College" curriculum designed to help owners care for and understand their dogs.
BowTie also is working with Iams on a game, Wag
Warz, which can be found on the Dogchannel.com home page, says Michelle Williams, BowTie's director of internet marketing. Visitors select the cutest dog with "face-offs" happen all day long. Each dog
that is selected by the user as a face-off "winner" earns a badge for their page.
The relationship between BowTie and Iams came about because "we could not get the print and online agencies
representing Iams to partner on multi-media efforts and we knew the impact would be so much greater if we could do this," Williams tells Marketing Daily."Our publisher, Bill Rauch, reached out
to Proctor & Gamble to address this and we ended up with a great roundtable between BowTie's print and online teams with P&G's brand teams, online and print buyers in one room at their
headquarters."
"The net result was that Iams moved their online buying team to the same city as the print buyers, and we started meeting with the planning teams to get ahead of the planning to
fit in custom and unique opportunities," Williams says. "It has been a great partnership ever since."
Besides the naming rights, Iams gets the branding impact and direct leads to its website.
"We also allow Iams to coupon and sample to our user base as often as necessary," Williams says.