• by Tanya Gazdik , August 17, 2011

Petco has revamped its logo and tagline and will launch marketing focusing on the company's anniversary featuring the new brand marks in October.

The refreshed logo features all lowercase letters and has added the word "healthy" to make the new tagline "Where the healthy pets go." Longtime Petco dog and cat icons Red Ruff and Blue Mews get a makeover.

The brand strategy and design for the new logo was co-developed by agency Lippincott and Petco's in-house brand creative team. Installation of exterior signs featuring the new branding will begin on new and remodeled Petco stores starting this month and will gradually phase into all the stores over the next two to three years, says Scott Blanton, VP brand creative at Petco.

"We wanted something that reflected our healthy values and where we are taking the company," Blanton tells Marketing Daily. "We are a brand that's approachable, and we offer a shopping experience that is approachable and comfortable for customers. We wanted to continue to use Ruff and Mews, but evolve and modernize them."

A larger rollout online and through various marketing channels is planned for October as part of the company's anniversary celebration. Marketing around the anniversary will feature the new logo and tagline and will include print and possibly some radio, Blanton says.

The highlight of the anniversary celebrations will be reunions held at each store on Oct. 8 and 9 for consumers who have adopted their pets from the rescue groups who partner with the retailer on adoption events. The retailer's nonprofit organization, The Petco Foundation, has raised more than $75 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, Petco works with and supports about 7,000 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 250,000 adoptable animals every year.

"The anniversary events are really meant to reinforce the human-animal bond that is so important to us," Blanton says.

The logo and tagline updates reflect transformations the San Diego-based pet supply retailer has made to its company, including remodeling stores with more of an emphasis on products that improve pet well-being. As Petco's customers sought out higher quality products for their pets, the retailer increased the number of natural and organic pet food brands available. As sustainability became an issue for consumers, the retailer introduced Planet Petco, an environmentally friendly range of products. Petco's overall vision is "Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World." While it's not expressly used in advertising, the company wants to communicate that message in a more overt way, Blanton says.

Since 2006, about three-quarters of the 1,100 Petco stores nationwide are new or have been remodeled to include modern design and layouts and an updated assortment that emphasizes natural and organic products. In 2009, the company also introduced a smaller store format, Unleashed by Petco, and has since opened more than 30 locations.

Both Petco and Unleashed by Petco associates complete comprehensive training to increase their knowledge of pet nutrition and total pet care, positioning them as trusted advisers to customers. These changes to improve the customer experience have led to all-time high scores in the company's customer loyalty and employee engagement indexes.