The American Kennel Club is moving heavily into cross-promotion. They have put their logo on plush toys and books, and now they are endorsing veterinarians and pet insurance. They have come out with their own now brand of microchip indentification, and now they are even putting their brand on TV Dinners for dogs.TV Dinners for dogs? Yep, that's right. The latest money-grubbing venture of the AKC is to partner with JAKKS Pets to put out a "new line of premium meals for dogs made with natural ingredients and conveniently packaged in a week's supply of single serve portions."
It seems that some people have too little time to even feed their dog. The AKC does not see this as a problem; more of a business opportunity, and one more way to subsidize money-losing dog shows.
No doubt the AKC's rationalization is that if they did not endorse TV Dinners for dogs, someone else would; the same rationalization they have found so convenient when registering puppy mill dogs. As for JAKKS, it says it "feels the American Kennel Club stands for premium, high quality products that consumers can trust." Who told them THAT?
Perhaps the folks at JAKKS should research the American Kennel Club a little more. The head of the AKC has said his organization would register a blind, deaf, three-legged purebred pup with hip dysplasia and green fur. The AKC stands for nothing more than inbreeding and paperwork. It does not promise or guarantee a premium product in dogs or anything else, and never has.
But maybe that's exactly the kind of quality-control JAKKS is looking for in a branding partner. After all, it's not like this is a company that has ever made pet food products before.
In fact, this company has no factories at all; their expertise is in designing and marketing action figures, kites, water toys, and other crip-crap mass-produced by companies in China.
China? Yes, China; the country that most recently brought us toys coated with with lead paint, and toxic dog food that kills our pets. So eat up, lazy AKC people. Maybe these new TV Dinners for dogs will be fine.
Or not.
If things go bad, have no fear; you can always get a replacement dog, registered by the AKC, at your nearest pet store or puppy mill. Let the circle of commerce be unbroken!
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People will buy just about anything.
ReplyDeleteI cook my own dog meals and freeze them to keep on hand if I run out of kibble, to add to kibble, or just for a treat. Meat or salmon, rice, carrots, peas, you know, the usual stuff that dogs like.
Why would I buy a frozen dinner when I can easily and economically make my own with ingredients whose provenance I trust?
What a world.