To the Marketing Manager :: Business and Management Studies

To the Marketing Manager Introduction The pet food market has experienced steady growth for years and despite a slight decline in pet ownership, pet food sales have increased. This is especially true for cat food sales, which reflects the fact that cats are outpacing dogs slowly but steady. As the trend is going towards pets being treated as a part of the family, they deserve food that is equal in the way to human dishes. These and other factors are the foundation of our report on entering the promising cat food market. Main The current cat food market is dominated by 2 multinational players, namely Mars (Masterfoods) with a share of 40% of the market and Nestlà ¨ (Friskies UK) with 41 %. (Mintel, 2002). As these firms have established their position on a solid basis, it is recommended to avoid direct competition with these brands. Therefore a strategy based on pure specialisation seems to be the best way to enter the market, therefore introducing a niche product. We would suggest entering with a highly-specialised, super-premium product for the cat food market, as cats are generally fussy eaters and their owners are willing to spend a great amount of money in order to satisfy their pet’s needs. (Keynote, 2003) Recent statistics have revealed that the trend is going towards focusing on health issues and functionality. The product should include a certain amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as special medical ingredients to strengthen the cat’s immune system. Furthermore the product should contain purely of organic ingredients. (PFMA) Concerning the product design, there’s recently the trend of ‘humanisation’ even when it comes to the recipe. Culinary choices should be made available to the consumer, such as pasta and rice dishes and consideration should be taken to suit different expectations of pet owners living in different countries, thus having a different attitude due to their culture. Additionally different age types should be targeted separately, as young kittens have different needs and desires than older cats. Kittens may need less food, resulting in smaller portions, whereas old cats need special nutrition to stay healthy and live longer. This should be a further element of our specialisation process. (Mars, 2003) Great emphasis has been placed on the convenience of the product package and design, for example single serve trays have proven to be widely accepted amongst pet owners, as they are easy to store and can provide the right amount for one meal. Re-sealable package, such as foil sachets, are also very popular, as they provide the owner with control and keeps the freshness of the food. In order to underline the natural and organic ingredients of the