In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Brett Stapper interviews Hannah Keyser, Vice President of Marketing at Scenthound. Scenthound is disrupting the pet care industry by creating a membership-based model focused on routine hygiene and wellness care for dogs – addressing a gap between traditional grooming (focused on aesthetics) and basic health maintenance that every dog needs. Through their innovative franchise model and community-driven marketing approach, they’ve built a scalable business that transforms how pet parents think about dog care while creating viral sharing opportunities around pet health “report cards.”

Topics Discussed:

• Building a test-and-learn marketing philosophy across multiple channels

• Creating viral sharing mechanisms through pet health report cards

• Balancing national brand marketing with local franchise support

• Developing community-based marketing strategies for pet care services

• Managing marketing for both corporate locations and franchise partners

• Leveraging the emotional connection between pet parents and their dogs

• Scaling authentic community engagement across diverse franchise locations

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Build Viral Mechanics Into Your Core Product Experience

Scenthound created their “Scent Check” report card system that serves dual purposes – providing health insights to pet parents while creating shareable content. The app includes a prominent “share” button that directs users to Instagram, and they run regular social contests around these report cards. This transforms a functional service touchpoint into a marketing engine that leverages pet parents’ natural desire to brag about their dogs.

Test Relentlessly, But Test With Clear Frameworks

Hannah’s marketing philosophy centers on continuous testing with clearly defined KPIs and timeframes. She emphasizes identifying exactly what you’re testing, what success looks like, and how long you need to run tests for meaningful results. Her experience shows that personal preferences often don’t align with performance – the ads she thinks will be hits frequently underperform compared to more straightforward product-focused creative.

Segment Creative Strategy by Market Demographics

Scenthound tailors their dog imagery and messaging based on local market preferences and demographics. Golden retrievers perform well nationally as “America’s dog,” but they’ve discovered that big dogs (Bernese Mountain Dogs, large doodles) often outperform because they signal inclusivity – showing that all dogs are welcome when some groomers might turn away larger breeds.

Layer Digital and Community Marketing for Service Businesses

While digital marketing provides measurable reach and lead generation, Scenthound’s strategy emphasizes getting franchise owners physically present in their communities. They train franchisees to attend local events, visit dog parks, and build face-to-face relationships. This combination of digital awareness and community trust-building creates a sustainable customer acquisition engine, especially important for services requiring trust with beloved pets.

Design Franchise Marketing Support as a Competitive Advantage

Rather than creating individual social accounts for each location, Scenthound runs national accounts while providing local Facebook pages for reviews and community interaction. They’ve built comprehensive training and resource systems for franchisees (most without marketing backgrounds), making marketing support a key value proposition in franchise sales while maintaining brand consistency.

Structure Your Team for Efficiency and Expertise

Scenthound maintains a lean in-house team (digital marketing specialist, local marketing/franchise support, graphic designer) while outsourcing specialized functions like content creation, copywriting, SEO, and paid media to expert agencies. This approach allows them to maintain quality and brand consistency while accessing specialized skills without full-time overhead.

Anticipate the Authenticity Counter-Trend to AI

Hannah predicts that as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent and harder to distinguish from reality, consumer marketing will shift back toward authentic, personalized, real-life examples. She sees user-generated content already outperforming polished ad creative, suggesting successful brands will use AI as a tool while maintaining genuine human connections and authentic brand experiences.