Pets: Banana Bruce and William Waffle
Introducing Ana and Strategic Edge, Inc.
I am Ana Marques, the Managing Director of Strategic Edge, Inc. We are the PR Agency of Pet Food Institute in the Philippines, and we conduct relationship-building efforts with the country’s veterinarians, pet owners and media on behalf of PFI.
I have a total of 15 pets right now! These include my two Bravehearts, Scottish Terriers named Banana Bruce and William Waffle. I have two 15-year old turtles who I lovingly call my KAIJUs, Gamera and Godzilla. I maintain four fish tanks that are home to my two Bettas, six Bullhead Goldfish and three Angelfish. I love each one fiercely, and I never tire of talking to them, playing with them and just spending time with each of them.
Strategic Edge has been providing communications support to PFI since 2011. We collaborate with various groups so that PFI’s message of responsible pet ownership is always communicated to the pet-loving community in the Philippines.
Why is PFI’s mission important to you? What made you interested in supporting the mission of PFI as Philippines’ representative?
As a pet owner, PFI’s mission resonates strongly with me, as I personally believe in the impact of proper nutrition on my pets’ overall health. While Filipino pet owners see pets as part of the family, majority still feed leftovers and table scraps to their pets. Apart from economic reasons, feeding table scraps is still prevalent because there is lack of awareness on the risks of feeding human food to dogs and cats. This is why much of our efforts focus on the harmful effects of human food on pets, and the health advantages of feeding US pet food.
What is your top priority regarding pet food and nutrition information in the Philippines?
In recent years, especially those following the pandemic, pet ownership in the Philippines has skyrocketed, giving us more compelling reasons to intensify our efforts to share information about the types of food pet owners choose for their dogs and cats. Especially for first-time pet owners, we want to be their partners in making informed decisions about their pets’ diet. This is why we work with veterinarians for our on-ground and online events so that pet owners have better access to the experts in pet care and get science-based pet-feeding advice.
How are you looking forward to carrying out this work in the future?
Based on information found on the Pet Food Institute website, we will continue to develop snackable, easy-to-understand and engaging content to help consumers improve their understanding of pet nutrition, dog and cat food ingredients, and the role of pet food in helping our pets live longer, healthier lives.
As we look forward, we believe that social media will increasingly impact pet owners’ decisions in caring for their pets. As an influential platform for pet care, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok will continue to be a relevant tool in promoting responsible pet ownership. And with a significant amount of pet care information available on these platforms, it is crucial to be a voice of reason by providing factual, evidence-based material, particularly since there is a significant amount of fake news being shared.
Our goal is to connect with pet owners where they spend their time the most, so our next target is to grow the reach of our social media pages and, hopefully, establish a presence on Tiktok. We want to continue celebrating our pets, and engaging with our audiences more by inviting them to share how they make sure their pets are living their best life.
How can people in the Philippines help to spread your messages?
Check out content posted on @happypetlifeph on Facebook and Instagram.
