Tuft is an app that connects dog owners with a network of trusted local groomers. Dog owners can select the best groomer for their pet based on a range of criteria, while groomers can also benefit from the salon management software, including taking payments and liaising directly with clients.
Brief
Tuft came to spottydog as a start-up spearheaded by an ambitious entrepreneur who was ready to shake up the industry. She recognised the need to get an agency on board who could help Tuft disrupt the market and spread the word among the network of thousands of dog groomers across the UK to generate sign ups. A secondary objective was to support the business’ second round of investment by showcasing that Tuft was continually being talked about in a range of trade titles. We had six months to make as much noise as we could.
Approach
As a start-up, Tuft had no existing credibility in the industry — we were starting from scratch. With a limited budget, the Tuft team didn’t have the funds for a press launch event or a huge creative campaign. Our strategy was to introduce Tuft to our suite of industry contacts by positioning them as a fresh new voice, showcasing how bringing the world of pets and tech together could revolutionise grooming businesses.
We crafted a launch press release, clearly explaining the benefits of the service for dog groomers. With the sell in, we accompanied this with a gift bag of Tuft-branded products to target journalists and invited exclusive interviews with the savvy entrepreneur behind the business.
Following this, we continued with a stream of positive news stories, such as sponsorship of the Pet Industry Federation (PIF) awards.
We also helped Tuft by surfacing additional opportunities outside our initial scope of work, such as encouraging the founder to enter the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Award (of which she was shortlisted) and spotting journalist requests in the mainstream tech press.
Impact
Tuft consistently had a flow of news coverage from the month it launched to the end of the project, including in titles such as Pet Business World, Pet Gazette, Pet Product Marketing, Companion Life, and Forbes Advisor. A particular highlight was the double-page spread in print title Total Grooming, which was a Q&A all about the amazing benefits of the software.
Tuft went on to secure a second round of investment funding. Due to this success, spottydog has since been reappointed as Tuft’s PR partner.
