Hare Brained Marketing Idea, Dreadful Press Release: Cell Phones for Dogs

I like my dog, Sam, to have the best of everything. And I have called him when I'm away so he could hear my voice on the answering machine. But that doesn't mean he needs his own cell phone. Or that he'd remember to carry it if he had one.

PetsMobility has launched "the First Ever Cellular Telephone for Pets!" It's a cell phone that attaches to the dog's collar (for paws free answering I guess.)

According to the press release from hell: "The PetsCell(TM) will allow pet owners to talk to their pets as well as allowing owners to request assistance should they require help. In addition, and perhaps more valuable, pet owners will have a piece of mind [sic] that if their pet is lost and someone finds their pet wandering the

streets, with a simple press of a button on the mobile device, the auto dial will dial the owners home alerting the owner to retrieve their pet. The PetsCell(TM), 2-way communication device will also be available with an optional GPS tracking chip and a fibre optic camera for search and rescue applications."

It appears that English is not the first language of the writer of this release, which also deserves a run-on sentence of the week award.

One problem: most lost pets have also lost their collars and tags. That's why people microchip their pets. Shelters are supposed to use a special wand to see if the pet has a microchip and use the information to contact the owner.

Stupid, yes. But there is a certain type of pet owner will buy this. I know several who wouldn't be able to get their wallets out fast enough if they knew about it. The same people who bought wonking huge SUVs just to handle their dog crate instead of letting their pups enjoy the breeze from the rumble seat of a Porsche.

Now that this is out there, I'm wondering if the marketing folks at Verizon are kicking themselves for not thinking of it first.

Yes, but can they SMS or IM from the collar? Especially important for dogs in their teen years.

So trooo. And, really, Sammy told me, who wants it if it's not a camera phone so you can moblog.

Just wanted to thank you for the insightful look into the idiocricy of some companies, such as PetsMobility! Unfortunately I do know some pet owners who would purchase this product.

I'm blogging for one of my last classes at Auburn and I love visiting your blog for your look at whats going on with today's public relations.