Adapted from a press release.
Mars Inc. announces a partnership with Tripadvisor, kicking off in the U.S. market with plans for future global expansion.
According to Mars, through a new cobranded digital hub, consumers will be inspired by and connected to pet-friendly communities across Tripadvisor’s platform, while businesses will be encouraged to realize the cultural, well-being and financial benefits of becoming pet-friendly. Despite 73% of U.S. Tripadvisor users owning pets, less than 1% of Tripadvisor’s U.S. restaurants are currently listed as pet-friendly, demonstrating a need for more pet-friendly businesses.
The collaboration furthers the broader Mars Petcare Purpose — A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS — and the CESAR brand’s commitment to making the world a more dog-friendly place, by improving the experience of traveling with pets at every step of the journey. It’s the result of a significant investment from Mars to accelerate the digital transformation of its pet nutrition business to meet the needs of the increasingly “always-connected” pet parent.
“At Mars, we’re dedicated to becoming the most digitally enabled, pet parent-centric organization, which means collaborating with innovators like Tripadvisor to transform the pet parent experience,” said Natalia Ball, global chief growth officer of Mars Pet Nutrition. “This partnership cements our commitment to supporting pet parent communities, using our unmatched expertise, knowledge and relationship with over 400 million pets and their pet parents who purchase our products every year.”
Shaping the future of pet-friendly travel
Travel remains a highly researched topic for today’s pet owner – in the U.S., “pet travel” is searched on Google over 19 million times annually, yet it remains one of the biggest pain points. The same data found pet parents only take a vacation “once every few years” or less because of pets and 33% of pet parents have actually altered travel plans because of difficulty traveling with them. In addition, of the 746,000 U.S. restaurants on Tripadvisor, only 5,000 – less than 1% – are listed as pet friendly.
The partnership serves to help bridge this gap, using digital technology to connect consumers with pet-friendly options, helping to guarantee a better travel experience for pets, their parents and the businesses that want to support them. Partnership features include:
- A new consumer hub, available online or through Tripadvisor’s mobile app, offering a one-stop resource for pet-friendly travel. Highlights include city guides developed in partnership with CESAR, featuring pet-friendly travel tips and attractions in U.S. cities, including Miami, Austin, Nashville, Phoenix and Palm Springs, with plans to expand globally, and an enhanced AI Trip Builder for users to build a pet-friendly trip in minutes with a personalized itinerary guided by traveler tips and reviews.
- A hub for businesses to discover the benefits of welcoming pets, including how to become pet-friendly on Tripadvisor, how to accommodate pets, and how to ensure consumers know that they can visit with their animal companion.
- The launch of a new coveted Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Award category, Pet-Friendly Hotels, with Hotel Fioreze Quero Quero in Brazil named the world’s most pet-friendly, and Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale in Florida taking the title in the U.S.
“We know our travelers love their pets and are looking for hotel and restaurant recommendations to make sure they can enjoy every part of their adventure together,” said Christine Maguire, global vice president of Sales & Partnerships, Tripadvisor. “Through this partnership, we’re streamlining the journey for those who want to bring their pet along, helping them create lifelong memories – while encouraging and supporting the growth of pet-friendly businesses.”
According to Petfood Industry’s Top Companies, Mars Petcare is the world’s leading pet food company. Its nearly 50 pet food brands include five billion-dollar brands. Mars Petcare also owns the BluePearl chain of emergency and specialty veterinary care clinics, Banfield and VCA animal hospitals.