Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Doggie Ice Cream

Good Humour is going to start making ice cream sandwiches for dogs.

Companies appear to be on a never-ending quest for ways to pamper your pooch, and here's the latest evidence: Ice cream maker Good Humor and pet food producer Pedigree have announced plans to produce ice cream sandwiches for dogs.

Apparently this is not a stupid pet snack. The companies said they needed a special formula for the dairy treats, as many dogs are lactose intolerant and cannot easily digest regular ice cream. Pedigree Ice Cream Sandwich Treats for Dogs will be dairy-based and have the same texture as ice cream, but contain only 1 percent lactose. The treats also will have added protein and no sugar, and are "pawsitively delicious," the firms' press release exclaims. A package containing 6 frozen yummies will
sell for $3.99.

Why do you think there would be a market for this? You could also argue why there will not be a market for this (or why no one will buy it as long as they have that horrendous slogan).

(Source: Marginal Revolution)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I personally do not know why there would be a market for this because it sounds a little ridiculous, but I can see why some people would buy 'Doggie Ice Cream'. Some people are just animal lovers and pamper their dogs a little too much. Why are there designer dog leashes that are $200 when one that is $5 does the exact same thing? I doubt the dog cares, but the owner does. However, maybe the ice cream is really healthy for them and useful for pets that are lactose intolerant.
Kate Carruth

Anonymous said...

Hey, I like that slogan! (I guess it doesn't matter, though, because I don't have a dog). But anyway, I agree with Kate in that I'm sure there would be a market for this if there is a market for Burberry dog collars that are ridiculously expensive...People do love their dogs and would be willing to give them treats that are not bad for them like people food is. Also, an ice cream sandwich for dogs with heartworm medicine it it would probably be an even bigger hit with pet owners.
--Carrie

Anonymous said...

There are all kinds of people in the world, including those obsessively dedicated pet owners. The market could easily be for the people who watch stuff like dog shows on TV. There will always be people who want to pamper their dog in the cute-siest way possible, and ice cream may be the next big trend in novelty pet supplies following dog sweaters.

Kate Vanderlip

Anonymous said...

there is a market for this because of people just like my dad. my dad celebrated our dogs first birthday last week by giving our 95 lbs golden retriever a cupcake(yes it had a candle). our dog has taken over my position and is now the favorite child in our family. My dad also made our dog a special dinner of beef and something else just for his birthday. i found it rather ridiculous and insane, but there are people like this. one lady at my mom's office has 7 black labs which are her "children". she is a bit on the different side but she seriosuly thinks of her dogs as kids. I can definitely see her buying such a product and i have without a doubt that there would be a market for this. They already have jeweled collars so at least the dog can enjoy an ice cream sandwich with this product...
-Austin Lintault

Anonymous said...

haha... i am going to have to argue against every single person that has commented on this blog. I will agree there are some pretty crazy people out there, and then there are those that are crazy and dog lovers. So yeah they buy the expensive leashes and collars but i am not going to lie, a dog will eat just about anything and every owner of a dog knows this. And yes i do mean everything... but i wont go into detail. For someone to buy an ice cream sandwich for their dog is ridiculous, my mom wont even buy me ice cream anymore. I am not going to go against the fact that there will be a couple consumers of the product but if they are just regular ice cream sandwiches im sure that the owner only bought them so that they could bond with the dog by having a midnight snack... eating the same thing as their dog... weird

-Ryan Schoettler

Anonymous said...

Just think about Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Brittany Spears, all of them have a dog that they believe is truly their best friend. They carry them in Louis Vitton, pay hundreds of dollars for a collar and leash, and tote them around like an expensive accessory. If this dog ice cream sandwich was advertised mainly to celebrities there will definetly be a market for them. Carrying around a small dog right now is extremely trendy, and they will probably pay any price for cute doggie treats.
-Hope

Anonymous said...

Dogs may be mans best friend but giving them their own ice cream, I don't think I would share ice cream even with my best friend. The idea of making doggie treat ice cream sounds ridiculous, dogs will eat anything. I have seen dogs devour paper and one dog will start to chew on the closest object once he hears the word "cheeseburger" proving that ice cream dog treats are by no means a necessary good for dogs. I would tend to think that a good this luxurious would be very income elastic because it is not necessary for living and a pet in general is not necessary for living. I would expect a very small market for these ice cream treats. The rich dog owners who are willing to spend anything mentioned in earlier posts would most likely be the only people to buy these treats.
-Chip Burge