Follow me on
Twitter

More Information

NEW Expanded Edition

PRESS RELEASES FROM HELL and How to Fix Them
The Traditional Press Release Is Dead! The Made-for-the-Internet Release is News Now.
Buy this Report.

REALITY PR STRATEGY: Everything You Need to Know to Get Free (or Really Cheap) Publicity Now. Before you spend another dime on PR, Buy this Report.

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.

Categories: New Products

BL Ochman | Sep 24 04 4:23 | TrackBack (1)

Comments

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.

Posted by: RichW at September 24, 2004 6:55 PM

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

Posted by: Dave Oeskovic at September 25, 2004 4:27 AM

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

Posted by: B.L. Ochman at September 25, 2004 12:02 PM

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.

Posted by: Laura at September 26, 2004 11:19 PM

Email this story to a friend

TrackBacks

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.whatsnextonline.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1750

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Hare Brained Marketing Idea, Dreadful Press Release: Cell Phones for Dogs:

Cell Phones For Dogs? I Guess It's Better Then A Pet Rock.... from What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity
Looks like a new wireless communication company has popped up to service the booming pet cell phone market! Okay, I was exaggerating about the "booming" part. [Read More]

Tracked on September 27, 2004 9:00 AM

Search

Contact: BL (at) whatsnextonline (dot) com
212.369.8312

RSS Feed

blog advertising

About BL Ochman

Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations

Poll ID 0 does not exist.