Christopher Bielmeier

Marco Correa
Diego Esparza Esparza
Rachel Larsen
Lourdes Saldana

San Diego State University: Marketing 371 Section 03

December 17, 2015

Introduction
We have developed and constructed the entire K9 Kitchen brand based off of the
following mission statement:
We will provide our health-conscious customers with ways to create an all
encompassing healthy lifestyle by improving their pets lives with meals that are catered
to your dogs needs. K9 Kitchen delivers veterinarian approved ingredients that will
make you and your dog culinary masters in a simple and convenient way.

1. Target Market Segment:

K9 Kitchen is concentrated in the United States industry of
Pet Care, more specifically the segment of dog food. Our main
target market is the health-conscious group between ages 25-54
which is considered to be a very price insensitive group in terms of
healthy food choices for their dogs. The characteristics of the
pursued segment are those of people that have a life-partner or
could be single. The most determinant factor of this segment is the
fact that the aimed market has no children due to the marriage
delay and as an immediate result childbearing (increasingly
becoming a trend among young couples).
Due to the life status of the already mentioned market they engage in a human-pet
relationship, on which a dog is the most preferred selection from a broad category of pets. This
human-pet relationship eventually becomes substantially important and the pet becomes an
important family member and is treated as a son/daughter. This claim has been supported by
studies that indeed show that people's brains fire up in response to their pets in a similar manner
to the responses for their children. It is important to notice that the targeted market has a higher
disposable income to spend on their Pet Children; despite the fact of their disposable income,
they are also more likely to spend a higher amount.
K9 Kitchen is aiming health conscious people due to the fact that people with healthy
habits are more likely to be inclined to worry about what they feed to their pets as well. In this
concerned group there are mutual characteristics. People are worried about recent pet food
recalls and want an alternative to standard pet food (the most usual product consumed) and

desire to know exactly what they are feeding their loved dogs. People whose dogs have stomach
sensitivity issues seek healthier choices as well. People who own dogs without health problems
also try to avoid risk of having any issues that could be harmful for their loved ones in the future.
In general, the trend could be easily followed: People are increasingly concerned regarding their
own food selections (avoiding gluten, red meats, GMOs, etc.); this exact same group is related to
the people increasingly engaged in purchases that spoil and reward their pets, as it can be seen by
the creation of birthday celebrations, Christmas gifts, etc. The characteristics of our target
market could be summarized in the following table:
CHARACTERISTICS
Age:

25 - 54 Years Old

Income:

$50,000+

Gender:

Both Male and Female (Male customers spend more on each

purchase while Females make purchases more often)

Number of present customers 78,703,587 (Based on 2010 US Census, estimated from

population aged 25-54 [126,941,270] and calculated times

percentage distribution [62%])
Number of future customers
Estimated by 0.5% yearly
average increase

A. Markets Potential:

100,447,938 (2015) and 128,199,851(2020)

As it is known, many people engage in pet companionship, as it has been mentioned the
most preferred pet to be chosen is the dog and it is common to see multiple dogs in a single
household that could be nuclear or extended families, single households and even retirement
homes. Despite the fact that targeting a full range of markets could diversify our sales and at the
same time reduce the reliability on a single segment, we consider that the already mentioned
target segment could be more profitable as our resources could be used more effectively to target
our consumers. As it has been mentioned, pets are now becoming increasingly popular with
empty-nesters, single professionals, and couples who delay having children. These demographic
groups are united by a tendency to have time and resources to spare. In fact, the fastest-growing
groups of pet buyers, according to Consumer Products & Services Trend Report, are empty
nesters and young professionals who postpone starting families but want a substitute. Thanks to
this and many other reasons the pet industry is enormous and rapidly expanding. The amount of
money spent on pets is a way higher amount than the one spent on entertainment and other social
pastimes for the owners. In How the Rich Pamper Their Pets, Paul Mann states how the
above-average income individuals spend their disposable income on
their four-legged friends. Mann states in his article that 92% of pet
owners spent the same or more on their pets during the most recent
recession period; inferring that a huge part of their disposable income
is being spent in the luxury life of their pets rather than their own (even
if an economy takes a hit). The fact that consumption of dog food
is insensitive to economic recessions and financial problems
creates a huge potential for sales that is to remain steady. The
attachment created between owners and their dogs is truly the
main reason why the necessities of pampering and truly caring
are created.
According to the 2015-2016 APPA National Pet Owners
Survey, basic annual expenses for dog owners in dollars include
the sections for Food ($269 Billion), Food Treats ($61 Billion) and Vitamins ($62 Billion) that
account for a total of $392 Billion. With around 56.7 Million households with dogs according to
the American Pets Association, this creates a huge market potential as it can be seen in the

following images, it is important to mention that K9 Kitchen aims for the Food segment;
however, it has a huge potential to grow to the other diverse segments.

2. Brand Identification

A. Archetypal brand personality:

As a creator brand, we wanted to bring a new way of doing something to the dog food
market. Our brand offers a convenient way for customers to create completely balanced daily
meals from natural ingredients. Our customers become innovative chefs behind meals for their
dog, using ingredients tailored to their dogs dietary needs. Once the customer chooses the
ingredients that best suit the needs of their dog, a package containing the necessary ingredients
for them to prepare meals is shipped to their door. Unlike conventional dog food it allows the
customer to know exactly what they are feeding their furry friend. The package is full of easily
mixable ingredients; all the customer has to do is take out their chef hat, a bowl, and a spoon to
create a homemade blend of natural dog food from real ingredients they can see. Our customers
are seeking an alternative, a new healthier way to feed their dogs. The company is an outlet for
those who fear a mediocre diet of kibble isnt giving their dogs the proper nutritional value to
thrive. We create a means of enduring value for our customers by providing them with a
convenient way to feed their dogs a nutritious diet, allowing the dogs to live a long healthy
prosperous life.

B. Name of the brand:

We wanted the name of our company to easily portray that we are both a company for
dogs and a means for our customers to create a homemade style of natural dog food. We
arrived at the name K9 Kitchen. K9 is an abbreviation of the word canine, another word for dog.
The word K9 is easily interpreted and a recognizable abbreviation most all people connect in

relation to dogs. It is obvious the word Kitchen represents a place people think of as an
environment where food is prepared and meals created. When combined together, K9 Kitchen
embodies a brand name people will easily be able to understand the company must have some
type of connection to dogs and creating meals.

C. Atmospherics of the brand:

Brainstorming for logo ideas we came to the conclusion a dog in a chef hat holding
kitchen utensils would suitably represent our company. It is important for a companys logo to be
simple and easily recognizable. With that being said our original idea turned into a dog snout,
wearing a chef hat with whisk and spoon crossed underneath. The imagery allows a visual link to
be created with the brand name K9 Kitchen. In order for customers to more easily understand
briefly what the company is about we have combined the brand name with the tagline, Natural
Homemade Dog Food in our logo. Since our company represents dog food made from the best
natural ingredients it was important to establish a natural color pallet when using the logo, greens
and browns. The main packaging, the box that arrives kept standard cardboard brown works
perfectly in conjunction with the green lettering of the brand name in the logo to create a natural
feel for the brand. Things like the website and advertisements will use and follow a similar color
scheme of greens and browns to maintain that natural brand feel.

D. Personalities created to market the brand, anthropomorphization, celebrities associated with

the brands, or a real character:
We thought the use of a couple celebrity dogs to endorse our brand of dog food would
help K9 Kitchen reach new customers. The first being Doug The Pug, he has become an
Internet sensation with various viral videos and has a very strong following on social media sites.
Doug's Facebook page has over 2.3 million likes, his Instagram account has over 1 million
followers and his Twitter account has over 32,800 followers. He also has his own Vine and
YouTube accounts, which attract thousands of views daily. Doug is known for humorous tweets,
posts and videos; our company could use him as a way to poke fun at standard dog food brands.
Creating a marketing campaign around Doug The Pug would introduce our brand to thousands
of possible new customers. Another celebrity dog we chose to market K9 Kitchen was Tyson
the skateboarding bulldog. He has appeared on numerous TV shows, including The Oprah
Winfrey Show and Rob & Big. Tyson has also appeared in the multiple movies like Lords of
Dogtown and Undiscovered. Tyson could be used to create an ad campaign for K9 Kitchen with
underlying themes like, extraordinary dog food for extraordinary dogs or let your dog live up
to their full potential.

3. Reasons for Crafting the Brand

A. Group Influences
Culture is the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that groups of people accept,
generally without thinking about them. The American culture best fits the brand that we are
creating for many different reasons. Two American values that represent our brand very well are
equality and directness. Equality plays a role in our brand because pets have gained a new
position in most of American families. Pets, especially dogs have become part of the family;
therefore, providing them with healthier food choices seems more adequate than feeding them
food that is unhealthy. We think of dogs as best friends or family therefore, we feel the need to
treat them equally and respectfully. Secondly, Americans also really value directness. That is
why we created dog food that allows our customers to know exactly what their dogs are
consuming. We are very transparent with our ingredients with no secret ingredients. Whatever
the customer choses on the website is exactly what their lovely dogs will be eating. Also, the
American culture is rapidly increasing their desire for healthier food choices in a timely manner.
K-9 Kitchen delivers exactly that, healthy and tasty food. Our website will facilitate the ordering
process saving our customers time since most Americans are always looking for more
convenient ways of shopping. Lastly, our goal with our brand is to make K-9 Kitchen a life style.
Other great influences that have a great influence are subcultures. One sub culture that
shapes our brand is health conscious groups. These people are very aware of their diet and
therefore are also more aware of what their pets are consuming. Healthy people also fit our target
market which people with high incomes. According to Ben Walsh, The more money you have,
the healthier you are and the longer you live, according to a new study from the Urban Institute
crunching data from the Centers for Disease Control. Another sub culture that shape our brand
it people who are involved in the dog community. These are people who repeatedly take their
dogs to dog parks, dog events, and dog shows. These are the people that care the most about their
dogs and are always looking for the best products or food for their dogs. Also, without a doubt
social economic strata also help shape our brand. K-9 Kitchen is focusing on adults who are
price insensitive that are willing to pay for customized meals for their dogs. Our consumers are
people with steady jobs and good incomes. We are creating a brand that delivers delicious
healthy customized dog food with exceptional customer services. Our products and services are
going to be worth every penny the customer pays for the food. At the end of the transaction we

want our customer not to feel the burden of spending money on dog food, but rather feel a sense
of necessity and accomplishment knowing that their dog, which is a family member to many of
them, is being fed properly leading to a longer healthier life.
Reference groups will have a very impactful influence on our brand. Our main marketing
target is adults with no kids and we hope to expand to families with kids through our main target.
Our primary reference group would be family members and friends. Our main buyers are people
who don't have kids they maybe have a companion; therefore, family and friends and their
decisions are very important to them. To many people think of their dogs as their kids and
nothing less, that is why these committed customers are going to spread positive word of mouth
to others and be our brand advocates. In family or friends gatherings, while family members or
friends are talking about their kids accomplishments our brand advocates are going to be
bragging about how healthy and happy their dog helping us expand our market. Our secondary
reference group is the community and social media friends; these people will not have as much
influence on our buyers. People in the community would include people who our target buyers
associate with at dog parks, events, or dog shows. When they associate majority of the time they
will talk about their dogs making them a great reference group. Also, since social media is
rapidly expanding, their social media friends are influencing many people. People are constantly
sharing what they liked and disliked about a product or service having a huge influence on
others.
B. Psychological Factors
The motivation for the purchase of the K9 Kitchen brand is derived from utilitarian,
hedonic and self-improvement motives. Our customers are not creating just regular dog food,
they are creating healthy meals that are filled with nutrients and vitamins, organic meats and
vegetables as well as extra supplements catered to their pets specific breed so that they know
their pet is getting absolutely everything they need to live a healthy life. Changing their dogs diet
to a much healthier one with K9 Kitchen is our last motivation, self-improvement. Selfimprovement is defined as motivations aimed at changing the current state to a level that is
more ideal (Babin & Harris). Self-improvement motivates our customers to chose a healthier
life for both themselves as well as their pet which causes gratifying emotions, which leads to
hedonic motivation. Hedonic motivation is used because K9 Kitchen allows our customers to

experience emotions such as love and joy. There is a personal gratification and fulfillment from
creating your dogs meal yourself. Most dog owners feel joy when they see how excited their
dogs get when they receive food. They feel more accomplished because they created that meal
themselves and therefore they created that happiness in their dog. Ultimately, a core motivation
is a utilitarian motivation. Utilitarian motivation is in play because pet owners need to buy food
for their pet in order to keep them alive as well as healthy.
The brand will require cognitive learning theory because our product requires a mental
process with purposeful behavior. When assembling the ingredients into the meal, our customers
will need to accurately read from a recipe and a set of instructions in order to have a positive
outcome. The cognitive learning theory is crucial because once the problem solving sequence is
learned it will get put into long-term memory. Truly authentic marketing locks the product into
long-term memory and that is what K9 Kitchen is aiming for.
Vicarious learning and modeling will also apply to our brand because we plan to
demonstrate our product in various pet and pet food stores. We plan to achieve this by arranging
contracts with pet food stores such as Petco where we will set up a table and demonstrate how
simple it is to make a dog's meal with our ingredients. This will motivate consumers to buy K9
Kitchen since they can see how easy it is to make and how satisfied their dog is with the product.
Once we establish a loyal customer base, they will motivate new consumers to purchase our
product because they will see how pleased our loyal customers are.
Perception refers to a consumers awareness and interpretation of reality (Babin &
Harris). The perceptual process affects the way consumers see and react to K9 Kitchen;
consumers are first exposed to the stimuli that is our brand, then dedicate attention to the stimuli,
and then attempt to comprehend the stimuli. Within the perceptual process, consumers are
exposed to and can learn about our product intentionally and unintentionally. K9 Kitchen is
targeted towards individuals already leading healthy lifestyles and those that are pursuing a
healthier mindset. These consumers will set out to intentionally learn about our brand and how it
can improve their lives. Other times, consumers will unintentionally learn about our brand by
simply being exposed to K9 Kitchen and the marketing promotions our company will create. We
strive to be prevalent in many pet food stores around the country which will have more
consumers in the dog community exposed to K9 Kitchen. Delving further into the perception
process, consumers will next have selective attention to our brand. By marketing our health food

to consumers we can demonstrate the benefits both their pets and they will receive which will
gain their attention. Once we have peaked our targeted consumers interest, the following step is
selective comprehension. This occurs when consumers attempt to derive meaning from
information they receive (Babin & Harris). Our logo is friendly with a smiling dog in a chef hat
in neutral colors is K9 Kitchen are called the schemas and become distinctive indicators of our
brand that we want our consumers to recognize. The final step in the perceptual process is
selective retention which is when the dog owners store the accurate information about K9
Kitchen in long term memory. This is the phase where consumers potentially become loyal
customers because once a consumer begins recognizing the schemas within K9 Kitchen it will
create long-term retention with our brand.

4. Market Mix
A. Product
We will have different meals on a week to week basis, worked on by our dog chefs and
approved by a veterinarian. By meals, we will have the options to send pre-cooked meals, and
the option to send the raw ingredients in a thermic box to the dog owner which contains the exact
amount of ingredients for their dogs depending on weight and age.
We followed the feeding guide from embarkonraw.co.uk to understand how much food is
appropriate for our meals:

Along with the ingredients and the box, we would send the recipes with pictures for the cooking
process of the meal and we would attach as well a paper pamphlet which explains how all the
ingredients benefit their dog and how they comprise a complete meal. We will also send, a small
lifestyle pamphlet to have recommended fun activities to do with your dog that will help the dog
owner and the dog live a healthy lifestyle together. To make it easy to connect with the customer,
we have created a Facebook page, an Instagram Page, a Twitter Page, and our website.
B. Promotion
To make it easy to connect with the customer, we have created a Facebook page, an
Instagram Page, a Twitter Page, and they are all connected to our website where customers can

buy our K9 Kitchen meals. We are also doing a promotion deal to gain customers with an intro
bundle of our first menu meal, our Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

We will create online banner ads to redirect to our page on pet related websites, healthy eating
websites, dog community blogs, healthy eating websites. Native advertising on FB for dog
owners, and sticky ads like Amazon does with their products for FB and YouTube to follow
consumers through their browsing. We would also buy impressions from YouTube and make a
promotional video interview with our CEO to create buzz among millennials on the site.
C. Price
Since every dog has different needs, we would price the meals based on what the dogs
need. Meaning that the meals are customizable to where you can add more food or less food
based on your dogs weight and age, and since the ingredients we are using are all fresh and
organic, the prices will be competitive to the seasonal prices of food in regular health food stores.
We will start with a free shipping promotion but we could possibly stick with free shipping
because consumer trends show that it is often a factor in consumers shopping requisites. Along
with the meal, we will create an option on the checkout page, after the consumer has finalized his
virtual shopping cart, to add nutritional supplements based on their dogs needs.
D. Place

We will sell the products straight through our website http://thek9kitchen.weebly.com/ .

On the website you will find the About Us, which is a page to discover the team behind K9
Kitchen. You will also find a Why Real and Raw, which is a blog designed for K9 Kitchen to
interact one on one with customers and respond to questions and comments sent to our email.
Our email is easy to find on the Contact Us part of the website as well as our Facebook Page
@K9KitchenSDSU, Instagram @k9kitchenk9, and Twitter account @_K9kitchen.

Conclusion
The pet food industry is highly competitive yet here at K9 Kitchen we believe our brand
will be very successful among our target market. By implementing this marketing campaign and
sticking with what we believe in, healthy food where you know exactly whats in it, we are
confident that K9 Kitchen will become a leader in the pet health food industry. Looking forward,
we plan to expand our geographical region of distribution as well as incorporate other methods
of creating a healthier lifestyle for your dog such as treats.

References
Babin, B., & Harris, E. (2014). CB: Consumer Behavior: Student Behavior (6th ed.). Stamford:
Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Embark On Raw,. (2015). Raw & Natural Dog Food. Retrieved 10 December 2015, from
http://www.embarkonraw.co.uk/#natural-raw-dog-food
Hobart, Pamela J. "Americans Will Spend $60 Billion On Their Pets This Year, And You'll Be
Surprised To See How Those Costs Break Down." Bustle. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.bustle.com/articles/110151-americans-will-spend-60-billion-on-their-petsthis-year-and-youll-be-surprised-to-see>.
Mann, Paul. "How The Rich Pamper Their Pets." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Jan. 2008. Web.
5 Dec. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/14/pets-pampering-celebs-opedcx_pma_0115pets.html>.
Walsh, Ben. "The Rich Live Longer Than The Rest Of Us." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2015