Pets Care : Pet pooper-scooper cleans up on actor's quip - The Detroit News

Pet pooper-scooper cleans up on actor's quip - The Detroit News

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:45 AM PDT

Encouraging a satisfied customers to endorse your product is Marketing 101. Having a celebrity talk up your product on a popular television show is like hitting the marketing jackpot.

Brad Baxter, CEO of Automated Pet Care Products Inc. in Pontiac, certainly felt that way in March after his automatic littler-box cleaner, dubbed the Litter-Robot, received a rave review on the daytime "Ellen" syndicated talk show.

The unexpected buzz began March 6 when actor Christian Slater told talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres how much he liked the Litter-Robot. His enthusiasm amused Ellen, who encouraged him to elaborate.

"It's pretty cool. It's an event when you have people over. It's like, 'Come and you've got to see this Litter-Robot,'" Slater told DeGeneres. "When I do fall in love with something, I tend to buy everything that is out there and available. And the Litter-Robot was certainly high on my list."

The Slater conversation tripled the number of visits that day to the Litter-Robot website, Baxter said.

To keep the ball rolling, Automated Pet Care Products plans to send another product sample to DeGeneres. It previously mailed her one, which may explain how DeGeneres knew how the product worked when Slater said its name.

Within hours of the show, Baxter and his public-relations company, Southfield-based PublicCity PR, started spreading the word about the spot on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. No one from either company asked Slater to talk about the product, Baxter said. But the firm knew that this was a golden opportunity.

"Slater was so natural," Baxter said. "You can't pay for that kind of thing."

Litter-Robot made some savvy moves with its Slater opportunity, said Eda Gurel-Atay, assistant professor of marketing in the School of Business and Leadership for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.

"In the short run, the company may use social media to generate and/or keep the buzz," Gurel-Atay said.

Still, celebrity endorsements, planned or spontaneous, have their pros and cons, experts say. There are those that work — such as the "Oprah Effect" of massive sales after talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey called something her favorite thing.

"Of course, there is always a danger in using celebrities: They may decide to misbehave suddenly, such as Tiger Woods," Gurel-Atay said.

Many pet owners like to indulge in products for their pets. The American Pet Products Association in Greenwich, Conn., estimates U.S. consumers will spend $52.8 billion this year on their pets. And high-tech products are particularly in demand, the industry group said.

The basic version of the Litter-Robot, which automatically turns to remove pet waste from the litter, sells for $339; its larger bubble-style robot costs $359.

While the Slater moment provided an impressive bump, Baxter said he tries to do something daily with his company's marketing. That means having a comprehensive plan that involves regular events, contests, social-media updates and more to ensure Littler-Robot stays in front of its customers and potential buyers.

"You have to keep moving and get the word out about your product," Baxter said.

Baxter founded Automated Pet Care Products in 1999, and the Litter-Robot made its debut in April 2000. It is unique in part because it is made from tough recyclable plastics and industrial-grade parts.

The company keeps tabs on comments on its website, Facebook page and other Internet sites such as Amazon, addressing issues as they arise.

Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

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