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Pets + influencers = petfluencers, adorable animal celebrities that earn more money than a lot of humans by socializing products with their huge audiences. While animal stars are a natural fit for the $11 billion pet industry, it turns out they also make great “spokes-pets” for everything from airlines to men’s fashion. Are pets the right way to curl up with your audience? If you are seeking Millennials, pets may be the ideal treat to lure in your target audience. According to research firm Mintel, 75 percent of Older Millennials (ages 30-39) own a dog and their generation in general are choosing to co-habitate with pets over people.
Menswear Dog
Dubbed “The Most Stylish Dog In The World,” Bodhi the Shiba Inu is a bone-ified male model—posing for photo shoots in GQ, Esquire, Nylon, Time and more. Recently, this handsome canine has been seen showing off the season’s must-have fashions by Gucci, Levis, Todd Snyder and The Elderstatesman while casually tagging the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver.
Jiffpom
This little cutey has over 3.9 million followers on Instagram and another 14.8 million on Facebook. Jiffpom frequently partners with brands on social media, plugging everything from films (The Secret Life of Pets) to video games (Bejeweled Stars).
Lil Bub
Making appearances in film (Nine Lives) and even her own talk show, Lil Bub is an internet sensation that lends her one-of-a-kind face to campaigns for brands like Persil, Zappos! and The Power Rangers.
Doug The Pug
Most of the time, Doug posts photos wearing little outfits and chilling out with musicians, entertaining tens of millions of fans on social media with his big, round eyes and mass appeal. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a hard worker, though, as occasionally this little guy teams up with brands to post about everything from ice cream to air freshener. This holiday season, for example, the pup joined Doug E. Fresh to promote Febreze’s 12 Stinks of Christmas campaign.
Chloe The Mini Frenchie
While not as huge as some of the other petfluencers on this list, Chloe is rising in popularity thanks to her high-fashion, jet-setting lifestyle. This tiny French bulldog lives in New York City, but travels the world, posting pictures along the way. She’s been featured in outlets ranging from Vogue to BuzzFeed and has partnered with a number of brands including Bissel and Febreze.
The beauty of petfluencers is that they are so versatile. While you wouldn’t ask a teenage gamer to talk about reverse mortgages, adorable animals can make anything look great and allow for massive amounts of creativity when crafting a campaign. When searching for your brand’s soulmate, sometimes the right one is furrier than you thought.