Welcome to the age of the pet influencer

April 26, 2023

Dogs and cats, but also a fox, have become social stars with customised merchandising and food lines. Partnerships securing huge revenues for their owners

For a few things, are humans willing to spend money for the sake of their pets? It is no coincidence that the market for pet accessories is growing steadily. People love animals, and therefore people love to follow their four-legged friends, live but also online. Thus pet influencers were born, renamed by many as pupfluencers, from the fusion of puppies and well-known faces on the web.

According to ReportLinker‘s themed report, the global animal accessories business will reach $30 billion in 2020 and will grow to over $55 billion by 2030. The focus on dogs and cats (as well as piglets, fish, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, horses, iguanas and many other animal species) leads interested parties to continuously search online for product information, as well as to follow the stories of puppies that have become popular between a clip-on TikTok and a photo on Instagram.

How to Become a Star

It is not just a question of dressing up one’s cat or immortalising one’s dog during a spectacular jump because some also use social channels to disseminate educational content, perhaps dedicated to species to be protected and safeguarded. So some for fun, others orchestrating a certain path aimed at gaining followers, the first pet stars of the web have arrived.

Ahead of them all is Jiff Pom, a Pomeranian fox who counts 9.4 million followers on Instagram. Born in 2010 in Illinois and relocated three years later to Los Angeles for numerous publicity engagements, he is so popular that he has film, music and TV in his repertoire. Cast in Adventures of Bailey: A Night in Cowtown (2013); the following year, he appeared in Kate Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ video clip, while in 2016, he was part of the Disney TV series Bizaardvark.

Also featured in the Guinness World Record as the fastest dog at 10 metres on his hind legs, with an encore of 5 metres on his front legs, Jiff Pom has a merchandising line designed for him by Walmart and is the ultimate pet influencer. This is also due to the owners’ strategy, which has always remained anonymous, to give space to the animal, whose total earnings are expected to be around 20-25 million dollars.

The most followed cat on Instagram

A life of redemption is a big win for Nala Cat, the web’s most famous cat, followed by 4.5 million fans. Finished in a cattery in poor health, she was then fostered by Shannon Ellis and Varisiri Methachittiphan. She also arrived in the City of Angels to monetise the numerous requests from companies (her posts have an average value of around 15,000-20,000 euros). She has to fulfil many shots and marketing gimmicks, even if her feed focuses on sustainability, not to mention that she can show off a personal cat food line: Love, Nala.

Rounding out the podium of pet influencers on Instagram is the most famous pug on the globe, Doug the Pug. He has 3.8 million followers but has also become a celebrity thanks to the two People’s Choice Awards he has won in recent years. He has signed contracts with fashion, publishing and gaming companies, even snagging an appearance in the computer-animated science fiction comedy film The Mitchells vs the Machines. Born in 2012, he is often immortalised alongside Hollywood stars.

NalaCat — j i f f p o m 9,4 million followers

Fun but also raises awareness

Tucker, the Golden Retriever, follows with 3.4 million social fans. Cuddly and the focus of many comedy videos with his owner Courtney Budzyn, he lives in Michigan and recently shared the stage with his son @oddbudzyn, who is growing up following in his father’s footsteps. On the other hand, Juniper Fox is the main star of @Juniperfoxx, an account that has broadened its horizons over time by focusing on preserving exotic animals. This is why her Instagram feed alternates between snakes, possums and racoons, all animals rescued from certain death and relocated to Florida thanks to the efforts of Jessika Coker. Here, too, there are many active collaborations for the group of animals, particularly for Juniper, born in captivity and rescued from a fur farm, the protagonist of a series of partnerships with Farmville, Sims4 and ChasApp.

Animal talent agencies

Behind the top five is a long list of pet influencers (which you can find at the end of the article), united by the fact that they have a specialised agency that follows the animals’ daily lives and plans shots, clips, negotiations and commercial agreements with the companies involved, which go beyond partnerships with industry brands. This is the work that leads Layla Flaherry, who in 2015 founded Urban Paws, an agency dedicated to famous animals, which in addition to dogs and cats, also deals with birds, horses, rabbits, turtles and reindeer.

“The demand for animals for advertising, on TV and for product promotion on social media is steadily increasing, leading to a huge boom in animal influencers,” Flaherty told the Guardian. Pointing to dogs as the favourite animal and Instagram and TikTok as the most effective channels, the expert’s advice for those who want to try and make their animal popular is to know your audience, ride the viral trends and put much effort into it from the start.

Proving that adequate commitment is needed to get results, even if many owners speak of success that came almost by chance. This view was valid until a couple of years ago, as it takes a precise strategy and some investment to gain a good following of followers.