Why don't quality foods advertise?

We had a small feed store around here that carried stuff but not enough sales so they stopped selling it.  It would be a long drive for me and many others that I know to go and get premium dog food.  Driving two hours out of someone's way to get dog food isn't high on many people's lists.
Yes it may cost intially hiring more people and to make more product but if you are selling more it can work out in the end.  I think alot of the general public doens't hold alot of faith in small dog food companies for quality control and longevity as far as how long will they be around.  A lot of people feel more comfortable with the big name brands because they have the name.

Timberwolforganics,solid gold,evangers and a lot of pre-made raw foods are advertised in' Animal Wellness' Magazine,among others.The only food i havnt ever seen advertised are Natura products.

I have always thought the reason these companies dont advertise was because they would rather put their money into quality ingredients and rely on positive word of mouth than pour it into mass market advertisements.

By doing that they have a limited market for their food.

It's money that prevents them from advertising. But I have seen them out at dog shows and at pet supplies stores. I think the reason they hit dog shows is because they know that the folks who go to dog shows are really serious about dogs and are more likely to be interested in a higher quality food that costs more money. They know who to market to just like some of the reps for Purina, Nutro and Eukanuba know who they can market to. I go to Petco a lot and the same Eukanuba rep is there every weekend. The first time I met him, he stopped me and asked...
 
Eukanuba Rep: "Do you own dogs?"
 
Me: "Yes, I do."
 
ER: "What breeds?"
 
Me: "Boston Terriers and a Rottweiler."
 
ER: "Nice. What do you feed them?"
 
Me: "Innova Evo, Canidae and Nature's Variety Prairie Raw."
 
ER: "Oh ok."
 
And the conversation ended there. I think he knew that there was no way he'd be able to get me to switch from those feeds to Eukanuba which is why he didn't press the issue. One of the most interesting conversations I had was with a Nutro rep. She asked what I fed and she proceeded to tell me that Nutro Ultra was the same thing as Innova Evo except that Evo has fruit in it. Totally untrue and you can read that saga [linkhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=85380]here[/link].

If the good foods advertised, they would have to lower the quality and cost of their food to compensate  for the very high cost of ads.That would be the end of the good food that we have to choose from. 

I always get a kick out of being in the checkout like at Petsmart, looking at someone else with a bag of the cheapest crud they can feed their dog, and drinking out of a bottle of  $1.50 water.......

They could still adhere to their quality standards....they choose not to and prefer the smaller exclusive market.  Or they could come out with another line if they chose.
 

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

They could still adhere to their quality standards....they choose not to and prefer the smaller exclusive market.  Or they could come out with another line if they chose.

Advertising costs a fortune.  The company would have to make a choice, lower the quality of the food like the junk dogfood companies do and spend the money you save on marketing, or let the word spread by word of mouth and keep the quality where it is.  If they advertised and kept the quality, they would be at a price point where very few people would buy the product...

The majority of dog owners I know can't afford the foods at the prices they are now so they buy the best mainstream brand or one of the better brands at Petsmart or similar store.

I guess it really depends on where you are. I have no problem finding super premium foods at stores in PA or MD. For example, PetValu carries many of the super premiums like Solid Gold and Natural Balance. And near to where  I work Central Dawgma carries ALL the super premiums, and even Nature's Variety Raw.   BTW at Central Dawgma I can get 33lbs of Innova for $40.00 and 28 pounds of Evo for $39.00. I don't know how that compares to other parts of the country - Maryland is not a cheap place to live.

Paula

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

The majority of dog owners I know can't afford the foods at the prices they are now so they buy the best mainstream brand or one of the better brands at Petsmart or similar store.

Well that argument doesn't really hold weight when you really look at the 'best' mainstream brands compared to some of the others:



I used petfooddirect.com prices for examples since they have everything and their prices seem comparable with the prices in my region, don't know about everywhere else.

That is an interesting breakdown Sooner. I had no idea how these brand prices compared.

Paula

That's by far the most interesting thing I've done at work today [&:] []

Is it 5:00 yet?

This morning I paid $15.95 for a 20 pound bag of Purina One Senior.

ORIGINAL: sandra_slayton

This morning I paid $15.95 for a 20 pound bag of Purina One Senior.

Breaks down to about $0.80/pound.

Paula

I'll have to check out the price of Canidea where I live now,,, it was very expensive to purchase when we were feeding it to Oliver.