New for Rover: fur highlights and polished nails

Several innovative new pet care products are making a major splash internationally. According to findings from Chicago researcher Mintel’s Global New Products Database, an explosion of pampering pet products is leading a global fashion upswing in the market. Products range from toiletries and cosmetics to weight-loss supplements and stress-relief sprays. So far this year, 465 new pet care product introductions have been tracked worldwide, up significantly from 2004’s 291 new product launches.

North America dominates the sector, accounting for 58 percent of all new product launches since 2003. Europe and the Asia-Pacific region follow with 16 and 17 percent of the launch share, and Middle East/Africa and Latin America account for 7 percent each. “Consumers, especially empty nesters, often view their pets as extensions of their families,” says Lynn Dornblaser, director of Mintel’s Custom Solutions. “They feel that what is good for the human members of the household is good for the pet members of the household. Therefore, many of the products we see on the market are those that tie in with key human trends: looking nice, feeling good and giving yourself an indulgent treat.”

Several key cosmetics introductions can be seen, specifically in the fur enhancement category. In the U.S., Pet Society has launched Color Highlights, a product that gives pets temporary fur highlights. P.T. & Son’s Bravo Dog Shampoo from Vietnam claims to have color-enhancing properties, specifically formulated for black fur.

Pretty nails are also the newest sensation from U.S. company John Paul Pet. It has introduced Nail Lacquer for Cats and Dogs, a fast-drying gloss with nail fortifiers, available in 12 colors. Moving into the fragrance front, South Africa’s Kyron Laboratories has introduced Purl Freshness Spray, a baby-powder scented dog grooming spray that doubles as a deodorant and moisturizer.

Stress prevention is also a hot topic in the pet arena. On the stress-free front in the U.S., Nala Barry Laboratories introduced Pet Organics No-Stress Behavior Modification Spray, said to reduce anxiety and nervousness in cats and dogs. Creative Sweets in the U.S. also launched Chill Pills under the Sock Puppet brand. These anti-stress pills contain naturally occurring amino acids used for travel sickness, nervousness and everyday stress.

Another key pet wellness topic is weight control. With obesity in people hitting the forefront of major health discussions, pets are on the hot seat as well. Pet Naturals of Vermont in the U.S. launched K-9 Carb Down, a weight-loss supplement for dogs containing Phase 2 Pet Starch Neutralizer.

Have you tried tryvertising?

The November e-newsletter from trendwatching.com had an extensive piece on tryvertising, an updated form of marketing through product sampling/testing. As Trendwatching defines it, tryvertising is an almost Zen-like way to market by not marketing. It is a “new breed of product placement in the real world, integrating your goods and services into daily life in a targeted, relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.”

In addition to copious examples of tryvertising - Oral B distributing its disposable Brush-Ups teeth cleaners to KLM passengers after their in-flight meals; Sony loaning DVD handy-cams to London Zoo visitors for an hour; Kodak and Hyatt encouraging vacationing families to try out the EasyShare Wi-Fi digital camera at select U.S. Hyatt properties - the Trendwatching folks offer helpful tips on how to and how not to tryvertise. Relevance is key: “The moment you push your try-out product to a broad audience at a non-relevant moment, and/or as a stand-alone item, not much will happen. The moment you solve a problem or add to an experience, making trying-out about empathy, not about pushing sales, you’re in.” Check it out at www.trendwatching.com/newsletter/newsletter.html.

A Japanese dish with a Mexican twist

Can you name the country whose residents consumed one billion servings of instant ramen noodles last year? Look south of the border, down Mexico way. In a fascinating example of how one culture takes another’s food and makes it their own, a Los Angeles Times article detailed how time-pressed and cash-strapped Mexican consumers have fallen in love with Japan’s ubiquitous packets of dehydrated noodles and flavoring.In grocery and convenience stores across Mexico, workers, kids and mothers on-the-go can get a filling meal for about 35 cents. The stores supply the hot water, plastic forks and salsa packets. Japan-based ramen makers Maruchan and Nissin have smartly added flavorings that will appeal to Mexican consumers, such as goat-meat flavored ramen and picante shrimp, beef and chicken varieties.
Maruchan has about 85 percent of the market - its name is now the generic term for ramen in Mexico. Though it competes with Nissin, the company that invented ramen, Maruchan is reaping the benefits of its decision to stay in the Mexican market during the peso crisis in the 1990s. While other brands pulled out or raised their prices to compensate for the devalued currency, Maruchan held fast and increased market share. But Nissin hasn’t given up. It has an extensive product research department where food scientists work at developing new flavors that cater to regional preferences.

A meal of ramen noodles may taste good, but like most fast food, it’s loaded with fat, calories and sodium. That fact, and the way ramen preparada is usurping traditional Mexican foods like rice and beans (consumption of beans has dropped by half since 1995, according to a trade group), has many nutritionists and cultural guardians worried. But they are fighting an uphill battle - and their own government. Diconsa, a government agency that distributes food to the rural poor, stocks millions of pounds of Maruchan ramen along with staples like powdered milk, flour and cooking oil for sale in government-subsidized country stores. It began stocking ramen about five years ago in response to store managers, who said customers were increasingly demanding it. “Traditions are changing fast, even up in the mountains and in the countryside,” one Diconsa manager said. “You can spend days cooking beans. Maruchan is ready in three minutes. All the mother has to do is boil the water and throw in the chilies.”

While the hunger for ramen shows no signs of cooling off, there are those who want to preserve Mexico’s food traditions. “Our food is our heritage,” one grandmother said. “There are riches on our tables. If we don’t partake out of laziness, shame on us.”

“Steeped in a New Tradition,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2005