Petrotech Takes Two Approaches for
Extensive Lines of Pet Odor Eliminators

The 24 SKUs for the Petrotech mass market line emphasize product effectiveness and key benefits through easy-to-interpret icons.

Petrotech Odor Eliminator products from SeaYu Enterprises Inc. in San Francisco are all-natural, non-toxic, and come in 24 varieties for just about every pet odor situation. The products are so safe that they can be applied directly to pets' fur. When the marketing-savvy SeaYu owners realized that their dated packaging might be keeping the brand from reaching the next level, they approached Brand Texture, a consumer research and strategy firm in Los Angeles, and The Kitchen Collaborative design group. The new packaging strategy produced two complete sets of 24 cans—one set for mass market, one for pet specialty stores—that were united thematically, graphically, and hierarchically.

When The Kitchen began started working with Petrotech, the brand had already established a strong distribution base across national markets in well-known retailers such as Petco. But the brand was in need of a solid brand strategy that would endure new growth that they were starting to experience substantial growth and embrace the environmentally conscious marketplace. The Kitchen worked with Brand Texture to identify the target Petrotech consumer and solidify a cohesive brand message strategy.

Petrotech's pet specialty line emphasizes the safety of the product with images of "protected" pets.

Redefining an identity

Aniko Hullner, CEO of the Kitchen Collaborative, was impressed by how much SeaYu understood where the brand was marketing-wise, and how much consumers were starting to catch on to the concept of the products. "They knew their customer," Hullner emphasizes. SeaYu knew the dated look and feel of their logo had little connection to the pet category and little reference to what the product actually does.

The Kitchen began the Petrotech project by addressing the logo and exploring new ways to communicate that the brand was based on an effective proprietary science where the product actually encapsulates the odor to eliminate it. Hullner believes the new logo is a mark that balances science and nature, illustrates the proprietary science, and visually communicates that this is a pet product in a friendly and approachable way. The colors and tagline reinforce Petrotech's all-natural formula and commitment to the environment.

Meanwhile, Brand Texture developed four complete new brand message platforms for Petrotech—two each for mass market and pet specialty. They based their platforms on consumer behaviors, brand positioning in the category, and the products' essential value proposition. In the end, Brand Texture summed it up with the "Clean + Green" motto. The two-paragraph brand message summary begins with: "At SeaYu Enterprises, we love animals—and we care about the world we live in." The summary ends with: "So, breathe again. The world is a safer place. And life just got easier."

Between mass and specialty

The previous Petrotech packaging was cluttered and unclear, with no clear hierarchy of information, making it difficult for consumers to navigate the system. The Kitchen developed two different label hierarchies for mass market and pet specialty stores, because different distribution outlets often have different customers, Hullner explains. "The two lines had to look consistent, but they had to appeal to different audiences," says Hullner.

Research conducted by Brand Texture indicated that consumers in mass market retail environments were more interested in the ease of use and the science behind the Petrotech products. The Kitchen created a hierarchy of information that was digestible to consumers and made for fast navigation on the shelf. The mass market packaging stresses a branded icon system indicating key benefits, systematic color categories, surface-use callouts, and emotional and authentic animal photography.

In pet specialty stores, Brand Texture believed that shoppers would be attracted to the all-natural composition and a completely safe experience for their pets and children. The Kitchen's solution was to create a visual interaction between the encapsulation process and the animals, promoting the feeling of protection or safety. A botanical pattern communicates the concept of a fresh-smelling, all-natural, and safe environment. The pet specialty hierarchy focuses more on the animal photography, uses the same navigation system as mass market, and tops it off with an overcap label stressing "triple-action formula."

It was important for Petrotech and The Kitchen to use different breeds as much as possible on the cans to convey inclusiveness. They preferred that the photos not look staged because they believed that natural poses are more interesting to shoppers. Interestingly, they were able to find all 24 photos they used by diligent searches through stock photography and image libraries.