Behind the Paw Summit
What is the “Behind the Paw Summit?” It’s an event where we (P&G Pet Care) invite some online influencers (like bloggers and news media) to come visit us in Ohio. We give them extreme access to P&G Pet Care, and we have round-table discussions with them on how we can make our business better. And I usually get to play “Tour Guide” to make sure they see everything and get all their questions answered!
OUR MOST RECENT SUMMIT
In mid-May, 2011, we were visited by bloggers and media representing 10 blogs and one print publication from the U.S. and Canada:
- My Brown Newfies
- Preston Speaks
- The Daily Oskar
- The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club
- Hearts Into Home
- My Wee View
- Dogs, Dogs, Dogs (print publication)
- Pawcurious
- DogTipper
- KnobNotes
- Thoughts Fur Paws
Our schedule:
Sunday, May 15, 2011–Arrival; Pins for Pets.
Monday, May 16, 2011–The Pet Health & Nutrition Center; The Leipsic Plant.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011–P&G Pet Care Corporate HQ/round table discussions; sneak peeks; Departure.
What they had to say about their visit:
DogTipper
May 21, 2011: Our Visit to the Behind the Paw Influencer Summit
“…The event included a dozen pet and family bloggers from the US and Canada. We all had the opportunity to talk with veterinarians, animal behaviorists, nutritionists, and the top executives from both Iams and Eukanuba. We had the chance to ask as many questions as we liked, no holds barred, and we asked all the questions our readers had left here on DogTipper as well as on Facebook and Twitter…”
May 28, 2011: Our Visit to the Iams and Eukanuba Pet Health and Nutrition Center
“…The Pet Health and Nutrition Center is a research facility located about a two-hour drive from Dayton. Here over 700 dogs and cats reside and test the products that are part of the Iams and Eukanuba brands…”
CatTipper (Sister site of DogTipper)
May 21, 2011: Back from Behind the Paw Influencer Summit
“…During our trip, we had the unique opportunity to really get a peek “behind the paw” and talk with the veterinarians, animal behaviorists, nutritionists, and top executives from Iams and Eukanuba…”
Hearts into Home
May 20, 2011: My Visit to P&G Pet Care’s Iams and Eukanuba Behind the Paw Summit
“…I expected to spend time hearing a lot of marketing-speak, and while there was certainly a fair amount of this kind of information conveyed, this trip was less about acquiring product information to share with my readers (as most brand-related blogger events are) and more about trust. Maybe that’s the word I’m looking for. Iams wanted to tell us some things, of course, but they were even more interested in learning from us, and that is something special…”
KnobNotes
May 19, 2011: Behind the Paws, and What it looked Like at the End
“…What we saw and heard over the two days we were in Dayton, Ohio can’t be done justice in one blog entry. At least, not by me. Eukanuba/Iams offered us total access to what they do at no small risk to themselves…”
May 22, 2011: Behind the Paw: The Leipsic Manufacturing Plant
“…To ensure that the food in our bag is equal to human grade food, the Leipsic plant includes a world class microbial center which we saw during our tour, but only after walking through a series of disinfectant solutions and putting booties over our shoes…”
June 18, 2011: Something About Kora
“…But in what strikes me as a “pay it forward” philosophy, Eukanuba provides each cat and dog the best life it can while the animals are in their care, then sees to it that they become family pets. I believe in this program because I saw it…”
My Brown Newfies
May 23, 2011: Behind The Paw Influencer Summit-The Arrival
“…The bowling idea was a wonderful ice breaker and great way to get to know some of the other bloggers and Iams/Eukanauba team members…”
May 24, 2011: Behind The Paw Influencer Summit-Pet Health and Nutrition Center-Dogs
“…The kennel space was more than adequate for their daily living, where they can come and go as they please from inside to outside. Their kennels are climate controlled at the dogs level. They are paired with a roommate. They have their own quiet area if they need they to just get away. (Wish I had one of those). The yard where they had to run and romp was bigger than most backyards…”
May 26, 2011: Behind The Paw Influencer Summit-Pet Health and Nutrition Center-Cats
“…I had no idea what to expect when going into the Pet Health and Nutrition Center. What I saw was happy, healthy dogs and cats and a great program built around them…”
June 9, 2011: Behind the Paw Influencer Summit-The Leipsic Plant
“…They don’t make toothpaste here, or makeup, or toilet paper. Just good dog food. The team here deals in making dog food and nothing else…”
June 21, 2011: Behind the Paw Influencer Summit-Mason Campus
“…The floor was opened up to the team leaders first who sat in front of us and told us a little bit about themselves, their families and their pets. Then they left the floor open to us to fire questions at them….”
My Wee View
June 1st, 2011: Iams Behind the Paw Blogger Event
“…Many of the employees that are with Iams have been with Iams before they ever were a part of P&G and are absolutely crazy about their animals…”
Pawcurious
May 26, 2011: Behind the Paw: Part Uno
“…I am happy to report (or perhaps sad, if you were hoping I’d have some depraved tales of mistreatment and horror) that the animals there are in great condition and live well rounded, training-and-enrichment filled existences until their retirement into forever homes…”
May 31, 2011: Behind the Paw: The Promised Post
“…Today, a post dedicated solely to the PETA video. Then, a post about the current state of affairs at the Pet Health and Nutrition Center…”
June 1, 2011: A Look Inside a Research Facility and a Givaway
“…Before I get into what we saw at the facility, I wanted to give you a little background into the wild and wooly topic of animal research…”
August 24, 2011: In Good Dog Magazine
“…The Iams Pet Health and Nutrition Center was the start of a new approach to animal research, one that replaced prison-like conditions with grassy play areas, sunlight, and real homes…”
Thoughts Fur Paws
May 21, 2011: Behind the Paw Influencer Summit with Iams/Eukanuba: an Eye-Opening Experience
“…So today I’m going to tell you about the Pet Health and Nutrition Center, which was our first stop and my favorite part of the tour. This is where the food testing is done with the animals…”
May 28, 2011: Part II of Iams/Eukanuba Behind the Paw: The Manufacturing Plant and Iams Corporate
“…The manager of the plant actually put it like this: ‘We want a food plant, not a feed plant.’…”
Preston Speaks
June 6, 2011: Behind the Paw—Day 1
“…We were paired up two bloggers with two Iams/Eukanuba staff members. It was a great way to get to know each other in a casual atmosphere to ask the staff all the questions we had about their company. They didn’t hold back either and we fielded many questions about why we blog, and about our pets…”
June 27, 2011: Behind the Paw 2011—Manufacturing Tour
“…You could tell that they truly believed in the mission of the company and they wanted to make the most high quality products possible. They had a sense of pride in the bags of food they produced…”
July 14, 2011: Iams and Animal Testing
“…Overall, I think IAMS took a responsible response to the issues at the Sinclair research center/PETA video and really made a wonderful effort to be a world leader in the area of animal research and studies…”
The Daily Oskar
May 26, 2011: Iams & Eukanuba’s Pet Care & Nutrition Center
“…Walking through the facility it seemed that nothing was off limits for us to see or ask about…”
May 20, 2011: Iams Loves their Pets
“… Iams wanted to ensure that their animals got proper care, stimulation and were being treated well…”
The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club
May 23, 2011: P&G’s Pet Health & Nutrition Center—Behind the Paw
“…The cats that are living at the Pet Health & Nutritional Center are living in a cageless environment…”
May 30, 2011: Behind the Paw—Iams & Eukanuba Leipsic Plant Tour
“…the Leipsic Plant was one of, if not the cleanest and most impressive facilities that [I have] she has seen.”
May 20—Facebook Wall Photos
