122. Sustainability, Storytelling & The Future of Pet Innovation

Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio. 

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pets Ad Life, your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond with Kristen Levine and me, Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and dog TV. Hello and welcome to another episode of Pets Ad Life. I'm one of your hosts, Chris Bonafati, and joining me as always is the woman who walked a mile in my shoes, Kristen Levine. Did

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I?

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah. How were they? Were they comfortable?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, they were really comfortable.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
You got to wear those comfortable shoes at Global Pet Expo. Yeah. That's my number one tip when people are like, "I'm coming to Global, what's your number one tip?" And they're looking for business advice and I was like, "The shoes." Comfortable

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Shoes.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Break them in early. You don't want to be breaking them in at the show. I just looked at my watch. I've been sitting all day. I'm at 11,000 steps. How do you get 11,000 steps when you sit? And

Speaker 2 (00:48):
We've been sitting here literally all day long.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah. 16 hours in a row in a warehouse underneath I - 4. Underneath I - 4.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Every time you describe

Speaker 1 (00:56):
It. I think that's the bit. Because my mental health is in sharp decline here as we continue to bring you excellent content from Global Pet Expo. We've got two guests that I think everyone's really good.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah. Absolute electricity and great energy coming from today's program. What else we got, Kristen? We

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Got two products. We've got two stories. We've got two questions

Speaker 1 (01:17):
From the

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Audience. And actually some of our questions have been coming from the audience here at

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Global

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Pet Expo.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah. One thing the camera doesn't capture is how distracting this is. So I think a lot of people are going to be commenting, why has Chris got ADD? It seems to be drifting off and it's because we have so much activity here at Global Pet Expo. They

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Might waving at invisible people.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yes. No, there are people there. They're waving at me. Hi. Hi people. Hi. So we're doing our best to bring Global Pet Expo to you in the comfort of your own home. But until we get to those guests and products, I think we're going to go ahead and get into some story.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Story time.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Story time. Kristen and Chris present Story Time. And StoryTime is back with future present Chris and Kristen. Here we are back at home. Hope everybody's enjoying. I put my

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Blue shirt back on.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah. I kept my Global Pet Expo shirt. It's the same one. I've been wearing it for three months straight. It smells interesting. I hope everybody is enjoying this amazing Global Pet Expo content and I'm continuing my series of research done by APPA through their State of the Industry report. If you are a pet brand or manufacturer interested in the American Pet Products Association State of the Industry Report, be sure to reach out to APPA. You could go to americanpetproducts.org/news to see the press release where I'm pulling some of these numbers from. And I want to talk dog ownership today. So dog ownership. Let's play the guessing game again, Kristen.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
What do you think the percentage of US households in 2025 own a dog? So what percent of US households own a dog in 2025?

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
This one surprised

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Me a little bit. I'm going to guess 64%.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's a little high. It's a little.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
53%. I don't know if our listeners could hear Ron. I don't know if it ever comes in, but Ron got it right. Ron for the win. This producer Ron for the win. Ron Stradamus predicting the future. Yeah, it expanded from 51% in 2024 to 53% in 2025. That's 71 million US households translating to about four million additional dog owning homes. Growth is led by Gen Z, millennials and Gen X while spending is becoming more value oriented. And I think that goes to show you that we talk about all sorts of products on this show and a lot of the products are premium products. And we talk a lot about these premium products because they're new, they're trendy, they're interesting. Are they good? Are they bad? There's also a lot of really great value products out there now. Store brands at your grocery store are producing fantastic food.

(04:09):
Not top shelf stuff, but great value. I mean, the Costco Kirkland dog food is fantastic. It's not top of the line. It's not going to make your dog sick though. And it's got everything they need. And I think it's making dogs more accessible is the thing because you have these great brands, you don't have to do that pet store specific run if you're going to be a value oriented pet owner. And I just think that it's great that the line of products is expanding and you could basically be whatever kind of dog owner you want to be, whether you want to buy them a pupcake every week or if you're tight on budget and you're buying the big bag of Kirkland food, you can still bring that dog into your home. And that's what it's all about, right?

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Absolutely. Because everybody benefits from having a dog or a cat. So it's great that you don't have to be a bougie pet parent. You can just provide their basic needs and get all the value for the relationship.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Nothing wrong with being a bougie pet parent though.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, no.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
I

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Think I am one. So let's go from dog ownership to ancient dog skulls reveal - Dog skulls. Take it a hard right here. Ancient dog skulls reveal that dogs were always

(05:29):
This diverse. I mean, I forget how many breeds there are. There's hundreds. But we always though that this huge variety of breeds was a result of that Victorian era, dog shows and breeding, but a new study just proved that completely wrong. So the new analysis of modern ancient dog and wolf skulls spanning the past 50,000 years found that a substantial degree of diversity in sizes and shapes of dog skulls already existed among the early specimens dating back like 11,000 years. And this is from Scientific American. So these results basically squashed the common belief that most canine diversity came about in recent centuries through selective breeding. But instead the dogs were already displaying a lot of notable differences soon after they separated from their wolf ancestors. So your dog's shape wasn't just invented by a breeder 200 years ago. It's probably the result of 10,000 years of co-evolution with humans.

(06:35):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's really cool. That's a cool story.

(06:38):
I've always been super interested because with taxonomy and science, the genus species and the way you get mules is by having horses breed with donkeys and they're different species but same genus or something like that. But dogs can interbreed, which means they're the same species, but they're so diferent. The genetic makeup, it's something I've always wanted to dive into. We need to get a dog geneticist on the show. I've asked some questions about that because that completely changes the way I think about it if they've been that diverse for such a long time but still the same species. I don't know. It's just tickling my fancy. I'm so interested.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
That's a great idea. I don't think we've ever booked a dog geneticist

Speaker 1 (07:24):
On the show. We've

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Had

Speaker 1 (07:25):
The history people.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah. Yeah. But we could also talk about DNA testing in dogs because there are people that do... We did the DNA test for Tulip and found that she's 40% miniature pincher, 20% Chihuahua, and then a bunch of other stuff.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
And 100%

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Trouble. Yes. I 100% believe it because I see the characteristics in her confirmation and her personality, but my husband kind of doubts it a little bit. So I think it would be kind of cool to debunk any myths about these pet breed tests or DNA tests.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
All right, Ron, get on it.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism. It is my honor to welcome back our next guest, Jim Lamancuza, the executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. You've heard me talk a lot about them on this show. They're a leading organization dedicated to advancing sustainable business practices within the pet industry. The coalition works with brands to improve environmental and social impact through education, certification and strategic initiatives. Jim was here when we were just getting started. We were just chatting about two years ago. Jim was

Speaker 2 (08:35):
New to this. You were new to your

Speaker 1 (08:36):
Job. We were only tw months in. It was three newbies in a room, but now we got some seasoning on it.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
More gray hair.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, me too. Me too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, to start us off, just explain to us the mission of the Pet Sustainability Coalition.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Our mission is to advance sustainability in the pet industry through education, collaboration, and networking. So we believe that sustainability, you have to have the entire supply chain at the table. So if one company wants to do something individually, it's very difficult. Yep. You have to work with your packaging suppliers, your ingredient suppliers, your distributors, and your retailers. So we bring the entire industry together to work on things that one company can't do on their own. And we also help individual companies set their goals and make measured progress towards them.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
So Jim, tell us why sustainability is becoming critical. It's no longer a trend. We're far, far past that. Why is it becoming

Speaker 3 (09:30):
Critical in the pet industry? The pet parent is even more interested in sustainability than a regular consumer. So some data that just came out last year in 2025, it showed that pet parents were 84% more likely to buy a product if it was environmentally friendly or sustainable versus 60% for a regular consumer. Wow.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
Great job, pet parents. Great job.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah. That's right.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
So what are some of the biggest environmental challenges facing pet products today?

Speaker 3 (09:59):
The biggest one is what's in the bag. So consumers are very interested in packaging, which is great. I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
Because that's what hops off the shelf immediately.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
It hops off the shelf. And after your pet has consumed the food or the treat, you're left with trash. And so you're like, "I want to do something with this. " And it's wonderful. We are working towards more recyclability within the pet industry. And I can talk a lot about sustainable packaging, but what's in the bag is about 98% of the environmental impact of the product itself.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Wow. And one of the trends that I talked about on a previous episode, and I'm sure Ron's going to fish out that episode number and link it up on YouTube for us, right, Ron? Right here, right here, Ron, put it right here, is that there is a confluence between pet parents demanding human-grade ingredients in their food, but then also demanding sustainable ingredients. So can you explain that issue better than I did a few episodes

Speaker 3 (10:50):
Ago? Sure. Yeah. But basically it's impossible to have both if they're truly taking chicken breast meat and putting it into dog food. It's one of the worst things that we can be doing for the environment and it's actually not as healthy for the pets. So hear me out. If your dog gets out, goes and chases down a chicken, does it just eat the chicken breast?

Speaker 1 (11:08):
No.

Speaker 3 (11:08):
Nope. It's going to eat the entire animal. And so we as humans should probably be eating more of the animal than we do. In other cultures they do. But in the Western world, we typically like the muscle meat and the steaks and the chicken breasts. But then there's this other, we call the other half of the animal. It's actually more like 60% that's perfectly nutritious. It's fantastic nutritionally for the pet and it shouldn't go to waste. And so one of the trends that we're trying to educate our members and the industry about is don't be afraid to use the other half of the animal and actually educate the consumer because consumers, they want their pets to eat cleanly like they do. But using the other half of the animal doesn't mean that it's not clean and nutritious food. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
And that brings up the term human grade. It's a little confusing because when I hear human grade, I think I would eat that. So I want the same human grade for my pet. But -

Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yeah, there's standards. The other

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Half of the chicken, in this example, is

Speaker 3 (12:06):
Also

Speaker 2 (12:06):
Technically human grade. I mean it's

Speaker 3 (12:08):
Quality

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Nutrition.

Speaker 3 (12:09):
Correct. So I mean it could be used for human consumption. So the real definition of human grade is that food is made in a facility that the FDA has aproved to produce human food. So they're making dog food in the same facilities and using the same ingredients that have been approved for human consumption.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
And I don't think a lot of consumers know that.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
They don't.

(12:30):
So you can get a extremely healthy with no preservatives and artificial ingredient dog food that wasn't made in a human grade factory. They're made in a pet food factory, but they're still eating clean, nutritious ingredients with no pesticides and preservatives with the same animal that was used. The chicken breast were used for the human side, and then the other half the animal is used for pet food. And from an emissions perspective, just to give you an example statistically, 90% of the emissions go down when you use the other half of the animal. So consumers that are really interested in climate change and trying to make an impact, actually supporting those brands that are following animal welfare, but also using the other half of the animal is one of the biggest ways that they can make an impact on the planet.

Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yes, you heard it here first, folks. There we go. So I have a question here and I'm going to ask for a definition for a term because I've never heard it before. The question reads, how can companies make meaningful progress without greenwashing? I don't know what greenwashing is, and I'm going to assume that most people at home don't know what it is either. So why is that a problem and how can companies avoid it?

Speaker 3 (13:32):
Yeah, great question. A lot of people know what it is. They might not know the term, but when you look at a package and it says eco-friendly, earth-friendly, made from nature, those are all terms that if they're not backed with some sort of third-party certification or verification would be called greenwashing because there's no limitations for a brand. They can put that on their

Speaker 4 (13:54):
Packaging

Speaker 3 (13:54):
And they don't have to back it up. That's changing though. So in Europe, for example, there's a new legislation that came into force in February of this year. It's called the anti-greenwashing legislation and they require any claims that you make on packaging to be backed up with a certification. So you can say it's earth-friendly if it's USDA certified, or you can say that it has a lower carbon footprint because you have quantified your greenhouse gas emissions and you've done offsetting activities to offset them. So it basically needs to back up the claims that you make. And so greenwashing would be unsubstantiated environmental claims. So

Speaker 1 (14:30):
Me saying here right now that the Powell podcast is earth-friendly. Here I am greenwashing the whole thing. I like that. I kind of like that term, greenwashing. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
There's another term that you probably haven't heard called green hushing. What's that? It's a new one that has come out in the past year and a half, and it's when companies are still doing really good sustainability efforts, but they're afraid to talk about it because of the political trends that have been coming through our country. And so we're trying to, again, help our members and help the industry understand don't be afraid to talk about the good things that you're doing, even if it's a journey that there is no perfect product out there. Every product has an environmental impact. That's okay. Educate the consumer and saying, "Here's what we've done. Here's what we're continuing to do. Still be proud about it. Don't be quiet."

Speaker 2 (15:15):
So if I want to shop truly sustainable brands that are not greenwashing, possibly they're green, what was it?

Speaker 3 (15:23):
Green hushing.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Green

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Hushing.

Speaker 2 (15:25):
What should I be looking for?

Speaker 3 (15:28):
The best thing is third-party certifications. So some of the ones like USDA Organic GAP standards, which is an animal welfare standard, Rainforest Alliance certified, MSC, which is Marine Stewardship Council certified fish products. So look for those seals of approval. Be careful about some companies put, it makes it look like a logo and a seal, but it's not actually backed up with any sort of rigorous standard. They just make it up. Seal. Yeah, and that would be greenwashed.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
Well, you guys do a certification program as well, so you want to talk a little bit about that?

Speaker 3 (16:04):
Yeah, it currently doesn't go on packaging, so that's the only thing for the consumer that they wouldn't find it. But on our website, the Pet Sustainability website, petsustainability.org, we have a list of accredited companies and accredited companies have to go through a third-party verification with the Pet Sustainability Coalition. It's based off the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. So it's a very well-known rigorous program. Members have to go through, they have to verify their impact, they fill out a standard, they have to then submit those to us. So similar to a USDA organic process, they go through with us, they have to re-verify every two years and they have to show continuous improving. And so any consumer that goes onto the website, they can look at our list of accredited companies, and those also would be in the same vein as having third-party certification.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Right. Well, since we talked about at the top of the show that it was two years ago that we spoke to you, what would you say have been the most meaningful advances in sustainability in the pet space in those two years?

Speaker 3 (17:02):
That's a great question. Well, we already talked about with the anti-human grade or at least educating the impact of it because when I first started, that was the biggest trend and it does have the biggest impact. So I am seeing companies that are proudly talking about using the other half of the animal. That's fantastic. We're also setting up a store drop-off program for flexible plastic packaging. So similar to bringing your grocery bag back to the grocery store, you'll be able to bring your flexible plastic packaging back to stores. So we have a pilot that'll be launching in California this year. Hopefully it goes well and then it would go nationwide. And it came about because of a collaborative effort with our members. So it was three of the biggest brands, two of the biggest retailers, some packaging companies all sitting at the table saying, "We have a problem.

(17:50):
How do we fix it together?" And I always say here at PSC, we're collaborators and conveners. It's actually the people at the table that have to help solve the problem. Sure,

Speaker 1 (17:59):
Sure. Yeah. And we're here at Global Pet Expo, obviously in a beautiful studio, and we have a wonderful pavilion with some of the pet sustainability members here. Do you want to talk a little bit about the work you're doing at Global Pet Expo righ now and bring

Speaker 3 (18:13):
These

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Members together?

Speaker 3 (18:14):
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much to Global Pet Expo because it's the first trade show in the world that set aside a section of the trade show floor just for accredited sustainable brands. Chris?

Speaker 1 (18:25):
It was all me. Yeah, totally.

Speaker 3 (18:26):
Didn't want to take

Speaker 1 (18:27):
Full credit.

Speaker 3 (18:28):
Where a lot of trade shows, they have a natural section where there actually aren't certain certifications that companies have to go through. They can just choose to be part of natural because they're self-identifying, where the companies that are in the sustainability pavilion have all been accredited by PSC. So what that does is retailers are looking for products to put on their shelves because consumers want it, but the retailers don't always know what' sustainable and what's not either. So because of Global Pet Expo, retailers can now walk into this section and know that all of these companies are verified. They don't have to do all that homework themselves. They can trust and then makes their job a lot easier.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
Fantastic. Well, we're about out of time, Jim, but we are so glad you were able to join us again today and hopefully it won't be two more years before we see them again. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (19:11):
Hopefully not. Hopefully not. All the time. All the time. Two years way back. But before we let you go, what's one simple change a pet owner can make right now to reduce their internet?

Speaker 3 (19:26):
Look for pet food brands that use the whole animal. There we go.

Speaker 1 (19:30):
That's a great piece of advice, Kim. Mic drop. Mic drop. I'm not going to drop these mics. They're more expensive than my mortgage. Thank you so much for taking some time. I know you're a busy, busy, busy guy running around this crazy trade show, so we appreciate you taking theime. Thanks for having me. Stop on the podcast today. Thanks.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
Wonderful.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
We really need more guys and gals like Jim in this industry having a mind for these sustainability things and helping consumers and retailers navigate a very difficult space. For

Speaker 2 (20:01):
Sure. And we even learned some new terms today, greenwashing and green nahashing. Yes. And

Speaker 1 (20:06):
Actually

Speaker 2 (20:06):
That tip that he gave at the end was great. That was a good question you had is what is one thing a pet parent can do? And you said choose pet foods that use the whole animal. Absolutely. And after he left, I though, well, how do you know that? So I just looked it up and you want to look for the terms whole prey or prey model or ancestry diet. Those are key phrases that basically identify a pet food that is using the whole animal.

Speaker 1 (20:32):
Well, Jim, a fellow Italian, our ancestral diet may be a little different than what the pets need. A little chicken, a parmesano. Literally a little cannoli. Tone cannoli. Remember Tony cannoli. Well, thanks Jim again, and we'll be hearing from him soon again.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
All right, I'm excited to welcome this guest. Coming up, it's Greg Roulette. Is that right? You got it.

Speaker 5 (21:01):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (21:02):
So video marketing strategist and the head of video at the Grommet Product Discovery Platform known for launching and showcasing innovative consumer products. With a background in filmmaking and digital storytelling, Greg specializes in helping brands tell compelling stories through video, connecting products with audiences in a way that drives engagement, trust, and growth. Welcome, Greg. That made

Speaker 5 (21:24):
Me sound really excited. I know. I love it to go. Let's go. This will be fun. She's the best introducer. She's really good at this. I know. It's incredible. Thank you guys for having me.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
This is going to be fun. It's great to have you. Yeah. And as I mentioned in the intro, you've built your career around video storytelling. So why is video such a powerful storytelling?

Speaker 5 (21:42):
Well, I think right now as we're filming this, we live in a world where anyone can create anything. Anyone can start a podcast, anyone can put content online, anyone can create a product. And I think video is that one medium where it kind of goes through that kind of BS detector. If I see you on video and you're talking about your product or you're telling a really cool story, I either believe you or I don't right away. And it's just such you start engaging all of the senses. And again, you just create this relationship with people. And if you do it over and over, people that listen to your show, if they listen to one episode or if they listen to 20 or 30 or 40 episodes and they see you guys engaging with your guests, how much of a deeper connection does that have with your audience?

Speaker 1 (22:19):
For sure. Absolutely. And one of the things you really specialize in is bringing new products to market. I mean, you're here at Global Pets helping us with this pitch competition. So you've seen a lot of products over the past couple of days, and I know we got to get you out of here so you

Speaker 5 (22:32):
Can

Speaker 1 (22:33):
See some more. But in your opinion, what makes a pet product stand out immediately?

Speaker 5 (22:37):
It is very hard. And I think the one thing that I always come back to, especially for new and emerging brands, is the story of the founder. Why did you create this product? So Headlight Harness is a great brand. We found them here two years ago on the floor in the new pet area. And she had a dog and the dog got off the leash at night and got hit by a car and the car owner never saw the dog, which is common. And so she created a harness that had an LED light bulb on it. But if you just saw the product, you'd be like, "Oh, it's just another leash with a light bulb." But as soon as you hear her tell the story, you go, "Well, I want to buy from her. I want to support her. I feel for her. I have a connection to her.

(23:15):
Maybe I don't want my dog to have the same fate." And so it's these really personal stories. It's why we watch those like Shark Tank. It's not always about the product. It's about the story of the product. And I think far too many brands when they're starting as they, here's the feature, here's the cool thing that it does. What's the connection? Because if someone's watching this video, they've seen 200 pet food brands. Exactly. Why should I buy yours? And it's usually a personal connection.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah, absolutely. That's how you compete in a crowded state, like pet

Speaker 5 (23:41):
Products.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
So Greg, what are the biggest mistakes that brands are making when they are creating video

Speaker 5 (23:46):
Content? The biggest mistakes I think, so the number one thing I think is they try to be perfect. And this is everyone. I'm seeing it on the pitch competition. The difference between someone who's on the pitch competition that is wooing the crowd and putting the crowd to sleep is the person who's reading off their notes versus the person who talks from their head and their heart. And if I came to your booth and I was like, "Tell me about your product," you wouldn't, "Oh wait, let me consult my notes." You would just say, "Oh, here's what it does." But there's something about when a camera, the red light's on, there's something that happens where our brain just turns to mush and you freeze and you forget, wait, what's the ingredient that's in my products? But I think it's those people that just know and are comfortable and just go out there and they're okay being themselves.

(24:27):
I make fun of myself all the time. I'll trip, I'll stumble, and I don't try to edit that out. I'm like, "Oh nope, I dropped that. I have my phone. I'm just scrolling through." It's okay to be yourself. And the second side of that, especially with pet owners, you see it as people are walking by. The more you can showcase your personality, the more you're going to stand out. 100%. So if you wear hats, wear a hat. I tell people all the time, if you've never worn a suit, why are you wearing one today when you're on camera? So just be you.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yeah, I think it boils down to authenticity.

Speaker 5 (24:55):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
You've mentioned the BS detector before, and I think in this world of emerging AI and all this other crazy stuff that happens on the internet and so much information out there, I think the BS detectors are getting really good. And I completely support the idea that you have to be authentic. I mean, I don't think I've ever really prepared for a Pet's Ad Life episode. That's a little secret. I'm over here just doing this, looking at my notes. No, it's all ad.

Speaker 5 (25:22):
There's no

Speaker 1 (25:23):
Notes. No. I'm a Shakespearean. But I do think that authenticity's important. Do you see authenticity as an important component of how a small brand can compete with the Purinas, the Multi-Pets, the Blue Buffalos?

Speaker 5 (25:38):
Well, the small brands have this amazing opportunity because they can move at light speed. They can jump onto TikTok, go on live right now and be authentic and just share about their product and they can get people to buy it right now. They don't have to wait for an ad or for a trade show to come up or for a commercial to air. They can be really, really quick and nimble. But the other side of that is for those watching right now, think about how hard is it for you when you're just scrolling your phone to pull out your wallet, enter in your credit card number? It's like a Herculean task from just a 60-second something. So the more that you can create that connection and be authentic and be like, "You know what? I really like you, " that's going to get that to happen much, much faster.

(26:14):
Yeah,

Speaker 2 (26:15):
Sure. So Greg, what trends do you see in video marketing right now?

Speaker 5 (26:19):
Ooh, trends. It's always a good one. I think we're going back to a place where they're stripping down all of the flashiness. I think you're going to see it's a style called yapping where you're literally just taking out your phone and you're just like, "Hey, what's up? I'm Greg. I'm here on the set and I'm talking." And there's no fast cuts, there's no hyper edits. The B-roll isn't there. And it's just people, again, authentic and being yourself, but it's getting back to that early YouTube blogging, but in 60-second form. I'm seeing a lot of that. And then the second thing that especially pertains to both the shoppers who are watching this right now as well as the brands is live shopping. Live shopping is huge. And there's a platform called Whatnot. It started with baseball cards and people in that space. I have a friend right now in the pet space who's going on there and they're doing 10, $20,000 per day live selling their pet stop.

(27:08):
I downloaded that

Speaker 2 (27:09):
App. I could not believe all the different things.

Speaker 5 (27:10):
It is crazy. Yeah. People think it's just like sports cards or collectibles. And just as more mainstream gets into it, it's entertainment. You go on, again, if you find a good host and they're fun and they're energetic and they're bubbly. So those are two really big trends is one, stripping it down. And I think that's a good thing for a lot of brands because I don't know how to... It's more accessible. Well, I didn't create my product so that I could spend hours marketing it. I created it because I wanted to help someone. In Marilyn's case, the headlight owner, she didn't create her products so she can get great at Shopify and search engine optimization and all these big words. She did it because she wanted to help people. And I think stripping it down is really good for them.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah. I feel like what people want in their videos is almost like the feel of a live stream, but in 60-second bites, short attention span, but they want that. They want to feel like it's a conversation like somebody saying, "Hey, chat." You're being addressed almost like you're their friend. And it does get weird and parasocial at times I found. But I do think it's about reaching through that video screen and making an actual connection. So at the very top of this interview, you talked about connecting emotionally, having that story if you're a founder. How do you think pet companies are different from other brands when it comes to connecting emotionally? Because we're so tied to our animals. Do you think

Speaker 5 (28:24):
That - Well, I think you just said it. It's use the animal. Bring the dog on camera. Again, just seeing the show floor, the people that have their animals with them, how many people are just like, "Is it okay if I pet your dog?" There's instantly that... And pets are cute. So whether it's a bird or a dog or a cat or a gerbil or whatever it is, use that. We had one brand, I think it was a pet CBD supplement brand, but the whole brand was the dog. So the dog did the talking, created by, and it was created by the dog, and it was just so cute, but everybody just loves the dog. And so lean into that. Use that. That's the advantage you have over every other product. Somebody selling cell phone cases. I just have a cell phone case. You have a cute dog that's going to win three times.

(29:06):
But lean into that and leverage that. And the other side is you don't have to always use your dog. So using email marketing to say, "Hey, everybody that just bought our pet leash, we want to feature you in our content and see how you can use all the other cute dogs in your community as well."

Speaker 2 (29:19):
Well, Greg, we're coming up on time here. So before we go, and I know you've answered this question already in the 10 minutes we've been talking, but what advice would you give to a brand trying to get noticed today?

Speaker 5 (29:32):
To start and to do it every day. And that's the easy answer. But the more that you do it, A, the more comfortable that you're going to get. And consistency is huge. I actually just wrote this down earlier. While I was here, I was talking to one of our brands, Spur Zapper, amazing brand. And he was just telling me that what's been successful in their business is they've had moments. They were on Shark Tank, they've launched with us. But he's like, "We just keep showing up. We just keep showing up." And so the more that you show up, especially with social media Today, only 50 people might see your video today. You could post pretty much an identical video tomorrow and 5,000 could see it. Or 50,000 could see it. But if you only take one shot, that's all you got. So it's taking more shots to have that viral moment.

(30:14):
So it's showing up and showing up daily and it's hard. I'm not saying it's easy. You got a business to run, you got family, you got things. But if you can spend that five minutes, do that Yap little video, put it on social media, what's the worst thing that happens? You get a mean comment or no one watches. Okay. I would much rather, especially talking with pets, what if you could help a pet to live better or to be healthier or to be safer or whatever. Isn't your mission worth

(30:39):
That? I don't know. To me it is.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Absolutely. I agree. I always say that the most important step is the next one. Yes.Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and don't look back. You're always going to cringe at your old content.

Speaker 5 (30:51):
Always.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
I've listened to a grand total of 10 minutes of my own show because I hear my own voice and I go, "Oh."

Speaker 5 (30:58):
But at the same time, have you ever been listening to someone else's show and been like, "Oh, his voice is terrible." You've never said that. That's not how our brain works, but for ourselves, we're always our worst critics. Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (31:08):
Exactly. Well, Greg, thank you so much for taking some time today. I know we got to let you go so you can continue with your amazing contributions to our pitch competition here at GlobalPetExpo. But thanks for all the wonderful advice and all the things you do in this video marketing world. We appreciate you taking the time.

Speaker 5 (31:24):
Thanks for hosting this. Appreciate it, guys.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
We forgot to remind folks during that interview that they can go to thegromet.com and find a lot of great -

Speaker 1 (31:34):
All the products. Yeah. And I kind of alluded to it, but he's hosting our startup pitch competition here at Gorba PetExpo. So we have this beautiful startup pavilion where companies that may not be ready to sell their product quite yet but are looking for investment, get the opportunity to pitch our venture capitalists who come to the show. They get five minutes and Greg keeps them on time. Hocus them through it. And it's an amazing program and his contributions really help these companies become discovered. There's a lot of success stories that come out of our startup pavilion. So Greg's a big part of that. And you can just tell by the way he talks. I mean, Guy knows what he's doing and he knows

Speaker 2 (32:17):
What he's doing. And what a great guy to have

Speaker 1 (32:19):
Him. Yeah. He knows about video and he's good on it too. So check out his stuff. What was it? The grommet.com.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
Thegromet.com.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
The grommet.com with two Ms, one tea. Got

Speaker 2 (32:29):
It.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
The product of the week.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
All right. It's time for our product of the week, Global Pet Expo edition. We got some more excellent products coming at you straight from the show floor. Kristen, what do you got for us? I'm going to

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Kick us off. This is one of my favorite brands.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
Okay guys, this is from World's Best Pet Letter. I'm excited to talk to you about this because it has to do with something that we've talked a lot about on the show, which is about preventative healthcare being a smart practice because it's always less expensive to practice how important this problem. We also talk a lot about how cats often can contract urinary tract diseases,

Speaker 1 (33:09):
Infections. Yep. Answer that a lot in the question segment about

Speaker 2 (33:13):
That kind of stuff. Exactly. And cats are so good at hiding illness or pain. So enter this little package, little package, big impact. It's just called the health check-in. And what this does is it helps detect any blood in your cat's urine.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
Oh, that's huge.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yes. So all you do, I'm going to do a pretend demo here. Well, here, hold the hand out. Sprinkle this in. We usually sprinkle these white granules, just little lightweight white granules into your litter box. You're going to empty the whole little packet and you spread it around. And then when your cat uses the litter box, wherever they urinate where the wet ball is, you're going to check to see what color these granules are. Now, if they don't change color, if they're still white, that's good news.

Speaker 1 (34:01):
Time

Speaker 2 (34:01):
To celebrate.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
White is right.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
White is right. Now if it turns blue, I don't know if you can see this camera where the cam blue are, but there's a blue color. If your cat has any blood in their urine, it will turn blue. So this is essentially a cost-effective way to have a health monitoring litter. If you don't want to purchase one of those really high-end health monitoring litters, you could put this in any cat litter, whether you use natural litter, clay litter, silica litter, it doesn't matter, it will work. And because you're sprinkling the whole packet in your box, all you need is one granule.

Speaker 1 (34:42):
That comes to blue. Yeah. To say

Speaker 2 (34:43):
White or blue to know if everything's good to go or you need to call the vet. Blood is a more accurate indicator of health issues than pH. PH can vary throughout the day due to things that are not related to an illness. And I say that because some of the other health monitoring litters are monitoring PH. Yep.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
I talked about that in a previous episode too.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
And let's see. So sprinkle. Yeah, but like I said, sprinkle it in the box and it's only 999 for this for this package. So little package, big impact.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
I see on the package it lasts up to three weeks as well. That's the

Speaker 2 (35:16):
Three weeks. Exactly. And this is the only one of the free litter additive. Additive? Additives.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Additives.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
Addutives.

Speaker 1 (35:25):
Additives

Speaker 2 (35:26):
Thatler has the other one's called Poop Fighter and one's called Good Habits. We'll talk about those in

Speaker 1 (35:32):
There. Poop fighter. I've been there before. I'll tell you that much. All those trade show food. Yeah. Oh,

Speaker 2 (35:37):
By the way, you can find this just about anywhere. Online.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
Really?

Speaker 2 (35:41):
Amazon.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
That's a great product. It really is.

Speaker 2 (35:43):
Very smart. All right. What do you have for us?

Speaker 1 (35:45):
I'm here with JoJo Modern Pets. They are a beloved brand here at Global Pet Expo and they specialize in natural single ingredient dog shoes. So I'm going to start with those two that I have here. We were just speaking recently with Jim from the Pet Sustainability Coalition about using the whole animal and I have a couple of great examples here. The first, we're all very familiar with the bully sticks. They have this country living brand that makes an excellent high quality bully stick. It's got its feeding guidelines on here. These are intended as rewards and never a substitute for meals and are a great natural chewing activity for your dog. And we also have these chicken tracheas here. And I know we actually spilled them in our studio. Yeah, it's my fault. And let me tell you right now, they're definitely all natural. You can tell as soon as you open up that bucket.

(36:41):
But I think that's a really great example of how we could use the whole animal. Yes, it is. It's a great activity for your dog to chew and get a little bit of extra nutrition. It's a great reward. And again, we're using the whole animal here because if that dog worth to eat a chicken, I guarantee you they're eating that trachea too. No park gets based - Probably first. Probably first. But their products are all about simplicity and giving dogs healthy, satisfying chew options. So I have these two super cute toys right here. I want to show them off with both of our cameras. I think they're absolutely adorable. Some simple chew options for different sizes of dogs. This tie dye narwhal is adorable and this space panda here comes with the little rope attachment. It's got the

Speaker 2 (37:26):
Crinkle sound.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
Yeah, it's got the crinkle sound. Those are really satisfying for some dogs. And I love the addition of the rope toy because if we are doing shoes, we want to make sure that that chew time is productive and is actually helping to maintain certain activities, one of those being dental health. So those rope toys are great at acting almost like a dental floss

(37:46):
For your dog. So check out Jojo Modern Pets. I believe their website, I just had it up, is simply jojomodernpets.com. Check out all of their products and they're available in all major retailers. Q and A's. All right. It's time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions, one from somebody who's been watching us through the pitch pool and one from our lovely audience at home. And I know what you're thinking. How do I get my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, it couldn't be more simple, Heath. Yeah, it's so simple. If you're going to get on the internet, you know how to get on the internet. Go to www.petsadlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of that page, you'll see the form to submit your question. Or if you are feeling as brave as Chris sitting in the room with a lawyer, because I don't know what it was, they guys are going to be so nervous.

(38:42):
You can record a voice memo. Don't plead the fifth. Record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on our show. I'm going to kick it off with the question we have from our actual audience, Kristin, and it's for you. All rigt. And this question comes from Kevin. Hey, Kevin. In Boston, Kevin asks, "Hi, I'm trying to find the best ways to keep my dog mentally stimulated. What do you think about things like puzzle toys or snuffle mats?" Snuffle mats sounds good. And are there specific types you recommend?

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Okay. Well, thanks for the question, Kevin, and it's a great one. And these tools that you mentioned, the puzzle toys and the snuffle mats are... I mean, we talk about them all the time. They are genuinely effective. Puzzle toys engage the problem solving part of your dog's brain and it slows down fast eaters if you have a dog that gulps up their meal. Snuffle mats. My dog Tulip loves a snuffle mat. A snuffle mat is like a - Yeah,

Speaker 3 (39:40):
What's a snuffle mat?

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Okay. So it's like a mat. Think of a piece of fabric, but it's got almost like carpet. Carpet or crab. Ooh, okay.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
Yeah, yeah,

Speaker 2 (39:50):
Yeah. It's actually cloth and you drop kibbles or treats in it and then your

Speaker 1 (39:55):
Dog lifts forging. Basically they have to call

Speaker 2 (39:58):
Them foraging mats. These are fantastic. They satisfy your dogs neurologically. And for beginners, we talked about this on another show. You want to start with level one puzzles. You don't want to frustrate your dog right out of the gate with a puzzle. So get them an easy puzzle to start with and then kind of work up with the difficulty level. And then the best enrichment tools are really the ones that make the dog work for the food. And truly, you don't even have to buy a puzzle. You can come up with your own puzzle. You can get one of those cupcake tins when you bake cupcakes at home and you can put pickles in those.

Speaker 4 (40:34):
I

Speaker 2 (40:35):
Mean, that would be a real easy starter puzzle for it. Or you can hide food in a blanket or a towel. You can sprinkle tibbles, roll up a blanket. So there's things you can just use at home to make puzzle toys. But yeah, highly effective and we'll calm your dog down wear them out.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
DIY toy.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
That's

Speaker 1 (40:53):
Right. Love it. I love it. All right.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
I've got one for you, Chris. Let me pull it up.

Speaker 1 (40:58):
And this question came from the audience outside our fishbowl.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
It says, "I'm trying to move away from the gilt tripping stare I get from the hallway every afternoon. I want them to be a genius, but my living room currently looks like a recycling bin exploded. Help me find the balance between being a true pal and being a pushover."

Speaker 1 (41:20):
I appreciate the pun. Honestly, that's why I picked the question. But I think we talk a lot about dog behavior on the show and dog training. I've never fully trained a dog before, but I can answer this question because the steps are really simple and I get what you're trying to do. You don't want to be the bad guy, but you do have to be the authority and your best friend is going to be positive reinforcement. If your dog is tearing up your living room and going through the trash and moving everything around, they're bored. And I get that it can be exhausting owning a dog, but if they still have that kind of energy back at home, you're probably doing two things wrong. First, you're probably not walking them enough or for long enough. So I think I talked recently about the idea of a sensiform and I think that's a really good technique to use here.

(42:10):
Bring your dog on their standard walks, but also bring them to some interesting places where they could get some new scents. Dogs explore through scent. Their old factory nodes in here go absolutely crazy when they're experiencing scents. It's how they communicate with each other and it's really how they view the world more so than their vision. So it's possible that they're just bored

(42:31):
And you're not getting them out enough and really focus on positive reinforcement. It's going to help you feel like you're not being the bad guy and it's also going to help the dog learn what kind of behavior is going to get them rewarded. So don't be afraid to give your pet some treats when they're chilling out. When that dog is finally relaxed and goes into their bed or into their crate and is relaxed and almost down for the night, feel free to give them a couple of high value treats there. Let them know that this is the behavior that gets them rewarded at the end of the day and good luck cleaning up that living room out there. I'm sure you'll be fine. But yeah, practice some positive reinforcement. Try. Send Safari walk. Krystal was just talking about some puzzle toys. I think that that's another great piece of advice that applies here.

(43:13):
But other than that, I think you're off to a great, great process. You got this random person who may or may not still be out there. Thank you, random person. Well, that's a wrap on this episode, Kristen. I learned a lot this episode. I'll

Speaker 2 (43:26):
Tell you what, this was a chock full of value nuggets

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Show. Yeah. I mean, I like to think that I'm a know - it-all and I sit here already knowing the answers, but I was just staring at Greg and Jimby. I'm like, you guys know so much more about it. I know. We

Speaker 2 (43:38):
Learned new terminology. We learned new video techniques.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
Yeah. There's some ways to shop on the internet to find the kinds of products that we're all interested in. We got some fresh data. I mean, truly a well-rounded pal experience this time around and we're going to circle all the way back on that well-rounded experience next Tuesday because we never miss an episode ever, no matter what. Always

Speaker 2 (44:01):
Here for you.

Speaker 1 (44:02):
Always here for you. So check us out. Share this episode with somebody who has really, really tired feet like me. Walk away too much. You may hear me complaining about that some more. Yeah. Yeah. Share this episode with somebody who's not - With

Speaker 2 (44:18):
A podiatrist that can help Chris with this really tired.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
Share this with your local podiatrist. Pets at Life, your guide to the latest in pet trends, products, and the joy of the Human Animal Bond with Kristen Levine and me. Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV. Did I not say dog TV? I say it weird.

Speaker 6 (44:40):
This episode was recorded at Global Pet Expo 2026. Here's some other moments from this year's show. This is where the pet industry comes alive. Welcome to Global Pet Expo 2026. More than 20,000 attendees, over 1,000 brands and thousands of products shaping the future of pet care all under one roof.

Speaker 5 (45:09):
The coolest part is there's so many people that are passionate about the work they do. It's like walked in multiple football fields. I am so excited.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
We have over 350,000 square feet of just boot space that doesn't include any of the special areas. That area is the equivalent to 11 US football fields.

Speaker 5 (45:31):
Many people here, many people there. I heard it's so many excited things happening in the expo. So what are we waiting for?

Speaker 4 (45:40):
APPA was one of the original associations that came together to bring the industry together, right? And then we partnered up with the Pet Industry Distributors Association here a number of years ago to bring their organization in and make sure that we're creating an ecosystem that will fuel the next 60 years of growth.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Oh my gosh. What are you guys excited to see? My goal is to find stuff I've never seen before, and I don't think I'm going to find that here. I'm also really excited about the new product showcase and seeing what they've got in there.

Speaker 6 (46:03):
Let's have a ball guys. Yeah. This is where trends don't just appear. They're created.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
We had over 800 products submitted to our new product showcase. This is an amazing opportunity for exhibitors to show you and the buyers exactly what's new in the industry. There's so much innovation happening behind me.

Speaker 6 (46:27):
From cutting edge technology to breakthrough products, Global Pet Expo sets the tone for what's next.

Speaker 1 (46:33):
This is the year The Cat. Cat is really having its moment. It's a huge shift in the industry and it's only supplicated here by this amazing new product showcase. So for all those cat moms and dads out there, you're going to be seeing some of this awesome stuff hit your retail shelves soon. Another huge hit at Global Pet Expo was our startup pavilion. We've been talking a lot about new products. These are the newest. Some of them haven't even hit market yet.

Speaker 6 (47:07):
At its core, this isn't just about business. It's about improving the lives of pets and the people who love them. Global Pet Expo doesn't just reflect the industry. It defines where it's going next.

Speaker 4 (47:21):
It's cool to see these early stage companies that are bringing new innovation. And here's the thing that's also really amazing is that we're bringing more capital to these founders now and we're bringing the money now to take these brilliant ideas and to bring them to market. That's what every healthy industry does is we disrupt, we continue to innovate, we get better, and you know what? More than anything, it's better in these pets' lives. It is. I get excited about it.

Speaker 1 (47:42):
It makes life a lot better on the human animal bonds. I am for our pets.

Speaker 6 (47:53):
We'll see you next year.