Barking Heads

Barking Heads launched in 2008 as a fun-but-functional, pet specialist brand. Popular with young pet owners, the brand grew rapidly and moved into grocery. Since being acquired by Inspired Pet Nutrition in 2021, the organisation implemented a strategy to exit the brand from grocery retailers, taking Barking Heads back to its roots as a pet specialist only brand.

Barking Heads target consumers

- Millennial and Gen Z pet owners, age range 20 – 35

- Owners who see their pets as their children

- Young, health-conscious shoppers interested in nutrition

- Shoppers concerned about their impact on the environment

Recognising the brands appeal to the sustainably conscious millennial and Gen Z generation of pet owners, Barking Heads dry food was relaunched in October 2023, with improved, reformulated recipes and an exciting packaging redesign, including fully recyclable packaging materials. Production was also moved to the UK, to its carbon-negative factory in North Yorkshire.

Today’s young pet food shoppers are pet centric, considering their pet to be ‘the most important thing in their life’. They are interested in healthy products for both themselves, and their pets, with spending on health and wellness ranked as highly important in this consumer group. They are often knowledgeable in advanced pet nutrition and keen for pet food to be specifically formulated for their pets, with vitality and digestive health being perceived as the most important benefits. Research suggests that 96% of Gen Z shoppers will pay a premium for brands they judge as ‘transparent’.

Barking Heads Proposition

With these findings in mind, Barking Heads wet and dry food recipes offer premium, health and wellness driven, fresh recipes with scientific benefits, designed by nutritionists for dogs of all breeds and life stages. In contrast to its serious nutritional proposition, the brand uses a fun and friendly approach to speak to its audience, such as product names including ‘fat dog slim’ and ‘beef waggington’, coupled with funky imagery and vibrant colours.

Recipes have a higher-than-average meat content when compared to competitors, contain only freshly prepared, human-grade ingredients from trusted farms, up to six fruits and vegetables, and are all made in the UK in its carbon kitchens, and packaged in eco-friendly, recyclable packaging.

Growing Customer Group

Representing the next generation of advanced pet nutrition shoppers, research shows a notable generation shift in pet ownership, with Millennials and Gen Z’s now making up 58% of current pet owners. Market data also shows that Gen Z spend per trip is +15% than the overall average pet shopper.¹ This group of target consumers is growing and choosing Barking Heads as it’s trusted specialist pet food.