Pandemic Pet Boom Drives Group Nine Media’s Ad Comeback

Feel-good pet-focused Group Nine Media vertical The Dodo is reaping the twin benefits of the pandemic pet boom and advertisers’ loosening budgets. For the first quarter of 2021, Group Nine Media's digital direct ad sales grew 34% compared with the same time period the year before. The company didn't share specific numbers. But as ad spend returns, it's doing so at different rates across sectors. Pet-care ad spend is booming: up more than 150% in the first half of 2021 versus the first half of 2020, and up more than 400% compared with 2019, the publisher said. Retail, by comparison, has also rebounded strongly in 2021 and is up 100% year over year. “The pet boom over the pandemic has gone into the stratosphere,” said Group Nine Media chief revenue officer Geoff Schiller. While other publishers like Bloomberg Media, Vice and Bustle Digital Group reported similar levels of digital ad revenue growth in the first quarter, the big question is how long these digital ad rebounds will last. Even if the flurry of pent-up advertiser demand dissipates, the millions of new U.S. dog owners still need to buy food and leashes. And, as The Dodo attests, nonendemic pet brands like Target, Geico, Clorox, Ally Bank, Credit One, Samsung and Nickelodeon are keen to associate themselves with its family-friendly content. The new modern family The stay-at-home existence of the last 14 months also created a shift in the way people view their furry friends. “The pet is at the center of this new modern family; a lot of our conversations will be grounded in this," Schiller said. "The Dodo is not just an animal destination. Its special sauce is humanizing the connection we have to animals, the loyalty and friendship. That seismic shift cannot be underestimated.” The Dodo's windfall is spurred by traffic highs, new content series and diversified ventures. The vertical has more than 90 million followers across social media platforms. In March, global traffic to The Dodo’s site was 20.2 million, up from 17.6 million the previous March, per Comscore. The number of viewers of The Dodo’s original adoption-focused video series, including Adopt Me!, Adoption Day and Foster Diaries, has ballooned. Collectively, these three new shows have amassed over 1.7 billion minutes of watch time, according to the publisher’s April 2021 internal analytics. “We see a huge opportunity to lean in further as the brand-safe, family-safe media brand across linear, streaming and social platforms that truly embodies what this 'new modern family' looks like,” said executive editor at The Dodo, Katy Brink. “That centers around the positive, uplifting memories you share with your human and animal family members together." That's a heady mix for brands. Target Families is partnering with The Dodo to launch what it bills as a livestream co-viewing experience, Rescue Dogs Are Magic, tapping into the mental health benefits of owning pets. Repeat-client insurer Geico renewed its annual sponsorship of Comeback Kids and Adoption Day, two of The Dodo's original series. It’s also launching a fitness influencer show, Team Mates, inspired by the uptick in at-home workouts during 2020 and high-performing Dodo videos that featured athletes with pets. We wouldn’t be fist-bumping if we saw reversal signs.Geoff Schiller, Group Nine Media In October, the Discovery-backed publisher announced a minority stake in pet insurer Petplan, which includes an equity stake as well as brand licensing and marketing services. The Dodo will be paid to promote Petplan’s offerings. As part of this, the pet insurer will be renamed Fetch by The Dodo this summer. Despite the peaks in pet-owning, the level of those insured is still low, exacerbated by the pandemic-fueled adoption boom. Later this year, The Dodo will launch its homepage redesign, which includes the debut of The Family Room, a new destination that speaks to parents with kids and pets. The shape of the rebound Other publishers have reported similar levels of digital ad revenue growth in the first quarter. Bloomberg Media grew ad sales 29%; Vice, 25%; Bustle Digital Group, more than 25%; and Axios’ quarterly ad revenue nearly doubled, according to the New York Times. Group Nine has several revenue streams, but the majority of its revenue comes from direct-sold advertising, although distributed revenue is “meaningful” and its second highest, said Schiller. After a year of body blows, predicting how long the boom will last is on everyone’s mind. Schiller doesn’t anticipate a trail-off for the rest of the year. “We wouldn’t be fist-bumping if we saw reversal signs,” said Schiller. “Q1 momentum is bleeding over into where we are to date.” Group Nine’s Blank-Check Company Goes Public, Seeks to Raise $200 Million Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Petplan will be renamed Fetch by The Dodo in May.

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Pandemic Pet Boom Drives Group Nine Media’s Ad Comeback

Ad sales grew 34% in the first quarter of 2021

Lucinda Southern

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