As America’s obsession with pets continues to grow at a breakneck pace, a savvy print media company is hoping to cash in on the trend by transforming two of the longstanding titles in its stable to appeal to a younger, hipper audience that’s crazy about cats and dogs.
The February and March launches of Dogster and Catster magazines, respectively, intend to deliver the fusion of entertainment and information for pet owners who are crazy about mongrels, mutts and pedigrees.
Ushering in a New Age
The two new titles, spun off from websites of the same name, represent the rebirth of America’s two oldest pet titles, Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy.
The rebranding effort began shortly after original publisher BowTie sold them, and a host of other titles, to I-5 Publishing in 2013 for a tidy sum of $10 million.
I-5’s original plan for the magazines was to reinvigorate them while retaining their original identities.
I-5 Publishing’s plans took a dramatic turn in July 2014 when the publisher came across two wildly popular websites, Catster.com and Dogster.com. The company managed to snatch both of those sites up and a new vision was born.
Rather than retain the “Fancy” names, which appealed to the 1% crowd of costly, pedigree owners, the magazines would be reborn bearing the websites’ names while delivering a more playful lineup of stories and art.
Method to the Madness
Scrapping the names and format of America’s two longest-standing pet-related titles might seem like madness, but I-5 publishers believe genius is on their side.
Cat Fancyserves as an example of why its new owners felt it was time for a change. The title, first published in 1965, had a tradition of delivering news about cat shows, pet health care and similar topics in exacting detail.
Often featuring purebreds, with a focus on pedigree, the title and its sister canine-related publication, only had a circulation of about 160,000 combined.
Meanwhile, the newly acquired Dogster and Catster websites boasted a combined 3 million readers a month with more than 1 million registered users.
The success of the websites compared with the relative stagnation of the print titles gave I-5’s leaders an idea. By bringing the fun, fanciful, viral stories of the Internet to print, publishers hope to appeal to a whole new generation of pet lovers who value not only pedigree, but also rescue pets, mongrels and mutts.
What the Future Holds
While it’s still way too early to tell if the rebranding will score a win for I-5’s print division, the company has sound financial reasoning on its side.
After all, the amount Americans spend on their pets has nearly quadrupled in the last 20 years, reaching an estimated $58.81 billion in 2014.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that more than 60% of American household have at least one pet living in their homes.
The first issue of Dogsterhit the stands in February. The rebranded Catstercomes out in March. Both publications will offer six issues annually.
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