Wine for dogs – that’s the latest innovation to give us paws for thought (sorry) here at GlobalData. On the surface this seems like another gimmicky innovation designed to gain traction on social media for producer Apollo Peak; however dig a little further and this is tapping into two very real trends in the market:

Pets as family – With consumers in developed economies waiting longer to have children, or choosing not to have children at all, young to middle aged consumers are increasingly treating their pets as family members. This will include buying them presents and treats which they will like, as one would with children.

Premiumisation – Launched in flavors such as CharDOGnay and ZinfanTAIL, this soft drink (for obvious reasons the products contain no alcohol) is launched in sleek premium looking packaging and aims to give a luxury feel. If you’re familiar with doggy manicures and blow-dries you will have a good idea of the intended audience for this product. Treating and luxury is the key sales message for this product when engaging pet-parents.

The novel nature of wine for dogs will also tap into social media. Social media users as a group are generally very happy to post pet picture online and also enjoy embracing the next craze, particularly if it is novel and potentially humorous. Providing this products gains some initial traction, and judging by the producers previous efforts with wine for cats this seems likely, social media users will provide a strong marketing solution simply through content shares.

Whilst this product is undeniably a novelty, and may only enjoy five-minutes of fame, the growing trend for such products demonstrates the growing desire among consumers for pet targeted luxury.