Dog Days of Summer: PAWPRINT OXYGEN

Pawprint Oxygen (Aeronics) - Blake Dube
Pawprint Oxygen serves a niche community of veterinary hospitals and clinics that treat respiratory illnesses in dogs. As a chemical engineering student at Pitt, co-founder Blake Dube was researching respiratory disease in people. Later, during a chance encounter with a former landlord (and veterinarian), the need for portable oxygen for pets came up in conversation. In 2019, after confirming a market need, Pawprint Oxygen was founded. They’re now in over 500 hospitals, shelters, and clinics. We asked Blake how he reaches his target demographic.


You have a very specific type of customer. How have you typically reached out to them?
We knew early on that the key to our success would be to cultivate veterinary trust. We needed vet buy-in. So we went to veterinary conferences, especially those offering CLE credits, which allowed us to get in front of the right people.

“We needed vet buy-in. So we went to veterinary conferences, especially those offering CLE credits, which allowed us to get in front of the right people.”


How has the pandemic affected your marketing?
Well, the tradeshows and conferences we attended in 2019 were a good way to get our physical products in the hands of prospects. In 2020, we’ve begun to reach out to pet owners. Our oxygen is available by prescription, so we have an inbound strategy based on search terms such as “pet ailment,” and the sales process begins organically. We’ll be adding new content and some outside sales help.


Has your messaging changed?
Not really, but since we’re now direct-to-consumer, we need to talk to “pet parents” which is different from talking to hospitals. Pet owners are VERY educated. They do their research. So we’re learning how to talk to them. Customer service has become more important, and so has building relationships. We have to show that we’re real people, and that we really do care about their pet’s health.


Do you have any marketing resources that you can share?
Our core resource is experts in the field. We’ve found our industry’s experts and used them to fill a drought of information online. So we have the experts help us to create content.

With regards to other resources, we use Mailchimp for our email marketing, and create graphics in-house using Canva. Design is important, but we really need to iterate quickly, so we tend to create our own graphics. It’s tough to find a designer that really has a feel for your company, so for now we’re doing that all in-house.


What are your plans for the second half of the year?
We’re writing off events even into 2021. But we want to get back to going to conferences as soon as we can so we can get our products into people’s hands. So right now we’re focusing on how to communicate digitally, and bridging the gap to create a relationship with potential customers. We’re making our site an online knowledge center and more community driven.


That sounds like a smart strategy! So what’s the best thing about running your business?
It’s seeing real people interact with our products, hearing about how we saved a pet’s life, and knowing that we’re making a positive difference in people’s lives.


OK, so I have to ask, if you had to be a dog breed, what would it be?
An Australian Shepherd. They’re energetic, intelligent but not at the top, and they stay active!

Pawprint Oxygen generator photo mktpgh.jpg