Dogfluencers or how more and more dogs have Instagram accounts

Surely this situation sounds familiar: someone glued to their phone all day, uploading photos to social media, gaining the maximum number of followers, competing with others to get the best items from brands to be their "exclusive image." Yes, surely it sounds familiar, but what if we tell you that besides people, pets do this too? How do you feel about that? We'll tell you about this trend that started in the US and has now spread worldwide.

Forget about the celebrity of the moment endorsing your favorite brand; now marketing professionals have decided that a basket of kittens or an influencer dog doing tricks sells more. There are all kinds, and they promote various social causes: leisure with dogs, no to abandonment, traveling with dogs, etc.

Many of these influencer dogs are "children" of real-life influencers, or celebrities, actors, or entertainment people, and they manage their social media and events.

They work, yes, because being an influencer is now a job, exposing their life on social media through their pet. Of course, they have one or more Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook accounts, they tell us how they feel at every moment, they do "unboxing" of the things brands give them, they celebrate birthday parties, attend events and movie premieres... all as if they were Hollywood artists...

In the United States, the status of an influencer is so normal that they even hold massive events where brands vie for these peculiar models. There are several annual events, but the most important one is held in November: it's PetCon, in midtown Manhattan; a convention for pet lovers (attended by more than half a million visitors) and everything that moves around them. There, brands compete for new signings as if they were movie stars or elite athletes, to be the next pet to promote their products, and everything counts: millions of followers, word of mouth, branding, etc. Modern marketing is a revolution.

Some brands, such as those dedicated to the animal world or pet fashion, have it easier than others due to their product catalog. It's not the same as one that advertises soft drinks versus one that makes dog beds, but they advertise everything: cars, food, technology, travel, fashion….

Here are some of the influencer pets that drive the Instagram community wild:

Harlow and Sage, at first there were two, and now they are a large family. This account, followed by more than 1.7 million people worldwide, only promotes animal adoption and responsible pet ownership, and delights their followers with their incredible photos, their beautiful friendship, and their disparate sizes (@harlowandsage).

Herecomesmeatball: with 164 thousand followers, he is one of Petcon's stars. We can follow his adventures and misadventures through social media. He is an influencer committed to adoptions and against abandonment.

Loki, a husky with almost two million followers, who travels all over the world and has even collaborated with Mercedes Benz (@loki).

Grumpy Cat, a cat with two and a half million followers, a kind of Garfield, who is always angry no matter how much his owner takes him on trips... He always has the same expression whether he is happy or sad. The best part is the comments left by his millions of followers (@realgrumpycat).

Jiffpom, is a small Pomeranian with almost 9 million followers. This friendly little fox does not hesitate to jump into his owner's bag whenever he gets the chance (@jiffpom).

Yanatwofacecat, 75,000 followers who follow the adventures of a cat whose face is literally split in two; it looks like two cats in one, and this peculiarity is what made her create an IG to promote her life and the items she receives as gifts (@yanatwofacecat).

If you think your dog, cat, canary, or hedgehog can do tricks and become a social media star... who knows? You're still in time for the next convention...

And you? Do you know any animal influencers? Do you think you can become one?

Let us know in the comments.

See you in the next post.