Every two years, The Anderson Group conducts Attitude and Usage (A&U) marketing research for UPG Aquatics. The research gathers information from aquarium owners, former owners and people who are thinking about purchasing an aquarium. The main purpose for the research is to assess household penetration of aquariums and basic buying and usage patterns for aquatic items. In addition, UPG Aquatics utilizes the survey to qualify consumer segments such as hobby, lifestyle and family to gain further insights. 

When The Anderson Group partnered with UPG Aquatics and PETCO to create a strategic e-marketing program, the goal was to help grow online sales in the aquatics category. In order to achieve the best possible results, The Anderson Group used insights from the A&U research, specifically the lifestyle segment, to craft the messaging for the program. The research revealed that reducing stress was one of the primary reasons for owning an aquarium, so this insight was used to create the HTML email, “$15 OFF your new blood pressure monitor,” that drove the consumer to the UPG Aquatics brand page on PETCO’s site. 
 


Brand impact


The initial email blast was delivered to the entire PETCO database of 2,469,254 consumers and yielded an astounding click-through open rate of 15.46%. PETCO was thrilled because the month this email blast launched turned out to be the best aquatics month for the PETCO site in two years. The e-marketing program continues to deliver new email blasts on a regular basis with significant results. PETCO and UPG Aquatics both consider the e-marketing program a successful initiative that met their goals.