Founded in 2009, ThunderShirt’s mission is to bring relief to the millions of dogs, cats and their families struggling to cope with anxieties. The company’s most famous product, the ThunderShirt, is designed to apply a constant, gentle pressure to a dog or cat’s torso creating a dramatic calming effect for most users. The company grew quickly, and had earned impressive media coverage simply because the product was (and still is) truly innovative. However, three years into their business and seeing less organic coverage, they realized that they had likely exhausted the “new factor” and needed a professional PR strategy to keep their message and product solutions relevant and in front of key pet, general consumer and influential media. In 2012, Thundershirt retained K. Sutherland PR because they found they had hit a wall.
Our holistic approach to outreach on behalf of ThunderShirt initially included on-going media outreach, which leveraged all existing data, current events, trends, breaking news, holidays and more to connect the brand to angles that resulted in positive coverage. We also successfully managed the launch of their diverse range of pet anxiety products, and were instrumental in helping the brand grow their list of industry and product awards. We also oversaw all on-site trade show PR efforts including media tours and press conferences and executed annual, strategically planned national Satellite Media Tour campaigns.
Some pet industry leaders have coined our agency has the “key ingredient to the brand’s amazing consumer awareness,” and you’ve probably seen ThunderShirt in the media, too. Some of the highest-profile media outlets where we have earned coverage on ThunderShirt’s behalf: USA Today, Huffington Post, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, New York Times, Fox & Friends, The Weather Channel, CNN, Yahoo!, Women’s Day Magazine, all of the pet consumer and trade media outlets, plus many, many more.
