In a tirade, I decided to put "@Beneful" in the title post. I knew it would be tweeted over and over, and I did it to get under their skin.
It worked.
Fantastically well, in my own opinion.
Halfway through the day, I get a response from Beneful, and so do a good number of people who tweeted my post:
I go on Beneful's twitter site to see this:
 |
| 51 followers? How much are you paying your Social Media Manager?!? |
So, since I had their attention, I decided to provoke them a little more:
You know you've won an argument when your opponent retreats into their buzzwords and canned responses.
And no, I'm not going to call the customer service hotline to address my concerns. I'd need to go to St. Louis and smack around some nutritional executives to get anything done, and I don't think an 800 number is going to make that happen.
I have been in the pet industry for 10 years now. I used to work for a distributor in California who sold Purina products, and who happily kicked them to the curb. In the 21st century, you get it or you don't. Giants like Purina, Pedigree, Science Diet and Iams were all giants in the 20th century, but...
I don't have my old cell phone from the 90's anymore.
I don't use my old Apple IIe from the 80's anymore. (Although, the original Oregon Trail is still pretty awesome)
As technology advanced and improved, I adapted with it. Well, pet food has done the same.
Holistic. Grain-Free. Limited Ingredient Diets. Raw Foods. All Natural. Human Quality Ingredients. THESE concepts are driving 21st century thinking, and unless these grocery brands can adapt, they're going to whither away.
I read trade magazines, and have seen sales reports. They're not that good.
You have millions of dollars at your disposal, and can recapture the market. If you are serious about being a good food for good pets, email me at lostinidaho@ymail.com. I can help you put your money where your mouth is (for a nominal fee, of course) and become what your commercials say you are.
Stop using the smoke and mirrors. Stop saying corn/byproducts/corn as the first 3 ingredients is "nutritionally complete and balanced" and therefore is good enough!
Stop being a "good enough" food, and start being a good food. We're in the age of 'pet parents' now, and dogs aren't just animals anymore. Stop feeding animals, and start feeding people's 'furry children.'
...or whither away and die. Quickly, so the masses can start looking for something better to feed their animals.
Come at me, Purina. Come at me.
