Reimagined pet care for modern pet parenthood at scale.
OVERVIEW
Care, stay, play, style. Heart + Paw is your partner in pet parenthood. Both in space and service design, the company puts the pet and parent at the center of a low-stress experience.
Heart + Paw is a startup reimagining animal wellness across physical and digital touchpoints with a $100M PE investment and plans to open 200+ centers by 2025. Brand, creative, marketing and retail leader on founding team.
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ROLE: VP OF MARKETING
Responsibilities included all creative, interior design, experience design, brand design, marketing, social, retail, content, app design, launch and partnerships.
Led the brand from the initial concept to secure funding through to launching 6 locations.
AWARDS + RECOGNITION
Fast Company - Innovation by Design 2019 Honorable Mention - Retail Environments
Nordstroms - Pet Shop Pop In
Instagram - @shop
CREATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Tailored Experience
Low-stress at every touchpoint, designed obsessively for pets and their parents
From the exam room furnishings to the scent of the shampoo, we designed every touchpoint. Even the cleaning supplies used special pheromone additives to create both a physical and olfactory low-stress experience!
We worked with University of Penn’s Dean of Veterinary Science to collaborate on leading low-stress handling design and treatment experiences across both lifestyle and healthcare services.
Local at Scale
Innovated a supply chain to be better for our brand, our bottom line and our community
We defined a brand commitment to empowering local creatives and entrepreneurs which is an important way to deliver on sustainability - both in avoiding extensive global shipping and sustaining businesses in our backyard in the wake of globalization. We partnered with local entrepreneurs and artists to sign retainer contracts so that these small brands can scale with a reliable long-term contract across our hundreds of centers. Our retail mix, furniture, lighting, millwork, upholstery, fencing , etc become signature brand touchpoints that are tailored to our unique functional needs and design. The initiative saved tens of thousands per site in buildout costs while improving the aesthetic and experience for pets and their parents..
Pet Tableware
Custom retail product co-developed with local manufacturers
Philly-based porcelain studio Felt + Fat is sought out by some of the best restaurants for their porcelain tableware, and we didn’t want our pets to miss out on the fun. Heart + Paw collaborated with Felt + Fat to design a modern dining set for our four-legged family members.
Check out the process of making each set in the video below!
MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS
3.1M+ Impressions for $5K
Successful influencer seeding resulted in impressions and features with @shop and Nordstroms.
These bowls were shipped to key pet influencers to raise awareness about our brand and share our concept and hyperlocal mindset. We reached an audience of over 3.1M+ through feed and story posts for under $5000 investment in gifted product with zero paid posts. Influencers included @simonsits, @jessicavwalsh, @witanddelight, @macchacat, @mattebrooks, @sierratishgart, @wmgoods and @heleneisfor.
25% cross-pollinated conversion
Marketing results proved our destination concept resonated with consumers.
Within 30 days of trying us for the first time, over 25% of clients tried us for a second or third service category. For example, a vet client would try daycare or a daycare client would try grooming.
95% 5 Star Reviews on Google
Build trust throughout marketing journey
Especially when it comes to health, trust is a vital part of building a brand. We built reviews into our consumer journey to drive marketing results. We were overwhelmed with positive feedback and clients sharing what we were doing with their peers. We also implemented a referral program to encourage both digital and IRL word of mouth.
