The Best Ads for Dog Beds

THIS WEEK’S FODDER
☀️ Good Morning

Happy 4th!

You’re reading Marketing Fodder, a newsletter dedicated to helping you improve your Facebook and Instagram ads. Here’s what we’re serving up today:

1. Snoozer

2. K9 Ballistics

3. Barney

4. Animals Matter

What do these companies have in common? They all sell dog beds. If you don’t see a brand you recognize, it’s because many of the bigger brands create terrible Facebook ads that aren’t worth drawing inspiration from. But, the companies listed above put effort into their ads, and we’re going to take a look at why their ads work.

STARTER
Headlines

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MAIN
Sleeping Dogs

How big is the market for pet beds?

According to Zion Market Research, the global market for pet beds was valued at 4.25 billion (USD) in 2022 and is projected to grow to 8.23 billion (USD) by 2030. That’s a projected compound annual growth rate of 6.4%.

Interestingly, orthopedic pet beds are a large and growing segment of the market; pet owners are increasingly conscious of their pet’s specific needs, especially owners who have a senior or injured pet.

How I Analyze Facebook Ads

A great Facebook ad communicates the benefits of the product or service, not solely the features. Features are cool, but customers really care about what those features do for them (the benefit). So, ideally, a Facebook ad communicates how the features of a product or service create a result or transformation for the customer (the benefit).

Alright, let’s see how these companies market their dog beds:

#1: Snoozer

The Good:

• Using humor in ads is one of the best ways to get the attention of your target audience and get them to remember your brand. This ad does a excellent job of that by using the dog’s voice in the Primary text and having the human owner in the dog bed with her pet.

The Bad:

• It’s easy to miss that a woman is curling up with her dog in the bed. Having the women’s face visible, smiling, could make the image more compelling.

• Having the URL above the image, instead of below, looks sloppy.

The Recommendation:

• Test an image with the face of the human visible, and/or have both the human and the dog looking at the camera.

• Move the URL below the image to its usual location.

#2: K9 Ballistics

The Good:

• This ad is effective at communicating the value of the bed to a specific audience, which are people who own dogs that chew up beds.

• Having a “120-Day Chew Proof Warranty” is an excellent way to get a potential customer convert because it removes risk for the customer.

• The image highlights key features of the bed and uses a large dog as a model, which helps give a sense of how big the bed is.

• Putting “Certified B Corporation” in the corner of the ad is a nice way to build credibility with the target audience.

The Bad:

• The white background, or lack of a background, in the image feels too artificial.

The Recommendation:

• Test having a non-white background for the image.

• Test having a review in the Primary text.

#3: Barney

The Good:

• This ad is carousel ad. I’m only including one image from it but the carousel format is great for displaying different colors or use cases for a product. This ad does a great job of showing what different dogs look like in a variety of round beds.

• The review in the Primary text is helpful, especially since this is an unconventional type of dog bed.

The Bad:

• This ad has an URL above the image, in addition to the one below the image in the typical spot; the one above the image is likely unnecessary.

• The ad lists features below in the images in the carousel but it may be helpful to highlight key features and benefits in the Primary text as well.

The Recommendation:

• Spell out the benefit of this bed. This is especially important for a product like this, which is marketed as being for dogs that are “curlers.” Will this bed also help the humans get a better night of sleep?

• Test two versions of the ad to see if having the URL above the image affects CTR.

#4: Animals Matter

The Good:

• This ad does an excellent of job highlighting the benefit for the customer: “Your dog will never want to sleep on your bed again.” By addressing a specific pain point, like getting interrupted sleep, this ad makes the decision to buy this bed much more compelling.

• I also like how specific this ad gets with the features of the product, including having NASA-certified memory foam (only the best for your dog).

The Bad:

• Not a big deal, but the image may be more effective if the dog looked relaxed, and sleepy, instead of alert.

The Recommendation:

• I would test a quote on the image from a happy customer.

• Test an image with the dog closing it’s eyes, looking sleepy.

Meme of the Week: