Bing Goes To The Dogs, Thanks to Big Paws, Little Claws
Working from 6am to 11pm, Dorival has focused his efforts on serving Manhattan’s financial district. The location seems a perfect fit, as people with disposable income are more inclined to pay for services they could provide themselves. But it’s not just the wealth of a clientele short on free time that makes the location great. Low on automobile traffic, Wall Street leaves a lot of room for dog walking. The pedestrians are mostly workers in a hurry, but there are also tourists taking their time as they navigate the neighborhood. It was these tourists that led Dorival to his epiphany.
“On a daily basis we are stopped very frequently,” he said. “People ask us for directions and the best restaurants to go to. Tourists would come up to us all the time to pet the dogs and take pictures with them. Finally, it struck me that dog walkers are walking billboards and street teams. I thought it would be cool if I could help promote a great product.”
Originally, Dorival thought he would end up helping to promote a local business, but after using Bing to help pick out his own dog he decided to approach them first. “I have a friend that works for the company, and he put me in touch with the right people. They were on board instantly, within 20 minutes.”
It’s a testament to the power of a great idea. The campaign has a two-pronged promotional strategy. The first specifies that the walkers wear co-branded T-shirts while on duty. Anyone that comes to pet or take a picture with the pets will be told about Bing. The second is direct marketing to Dorival’s clients. Walkers will leave a “battle card” outlining Bing’s pet-related services for clients. Simple, personal, sophisticated and hopefully, effective.
The partnership with Bing was a big enough deal to land Dorival on the CBS Early Show. “I couldn’t believe I was on the morning show. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I walk dogs.”
Dorival is humble about his success, but it’s obvious that he has a keen marketing mind and eye for additional income opportunities. Aside from working with Bing, he’s also partnering with Glassy Baby, a high-end carved glass retailer. It is a collaboration that feeds directly into his target market of high-income families and the ultimate in double leverage. Even as Dorival and his walkers will be working to help promote Glassy’s retail outlets, many of the glassmaker’s clients are the perfect fit for Big Paws, Little Claws. That campaign will run June through September.
In addition to gathering additional sponsorships, Dorival has been speaking to hotels about offering pet concierge services. But whatever lies ahead, Dorival refuses to lose sight of his core function as a caretaker.“Pets are a part of people’s family. They love them, and spoil them. That’s why we try to be more than just a walking service. We are more of a concierge service. We take care of their pets as if they were our own.”
Taking good care of your customers may be an old school philosophy, but it’s still one that works. Even as the economy limps toward its recovery, Big Paws, Little Claws is determined to not lose its footing. “Our business is actually up right now. Our clients have disposable income, and they are going to spend money on lifestyle choices and their pets.”
