Have you noticed that getting on the Internet has become similar to walking into a pet store? We are bombarded by cute cat photos, funny videos of animals, and pet memes of all shapes and sizes. While many are everyday pets whose owners simply enjoy showing them off, some pets have made a name (and a living) for themselves online. We call them, “petfluencers.” In today’s social media driven society, I’m sure you have heard the names “Boo the Cutest Dog” or “The Grumpy Cat.” These Internet pets have become household names. What you may not know is just how much of a name (and a salary!) these pets have created. Let’s break down some animal celebs by the numbers: [caption id="attachment_2720" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image via boothedog.net[/caption] Boo the Cutest Dog: Boo, dubbed “the worlds cutest dog”, soared to stardom when Ke$ha proclaimed him as her “new boyfriend” on Twitter. His fame has spread to a stuffed dog (available at Urban Outfitters), a book deal and a “spokesdog” position for Virgin American Airlines. According to The New Daily, Boo brings in about $1 million a year in revenue. Facebook: 16 million likes [caption id="attachment_2719" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image via Men's Wear Dog Tumbler[/caption] Bodhi the Shiba Inu: The Internet pup with a better wardrobe than yours. Bodhi, New York City’s “menswear dog”, has turned his online fame into a fashion modeling career. He has been featured in major campaigns for big-name brands including Coach, Victorinox Swiss Army, American Apparel, Brooks Brothers and Revlon. Coming up next? An official Menswear Dog book. Fast Company estimates that Bodhi earns around $15,000 from his gigs. Facebook: 119,517 likes Instagram: 177k followers [caption id="attachment_2721" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image via The Grumpy Cat Facebook[/caption] The Grumpy Cat: Maybe the most famous (and most meme-ed) Internet animal of all is The Grumpy Cat, a cute kitty with a permanently disgruntled expression. With millions of followers (and even an agent) The Grumpy Cat has taken her celebrity status to the next level with a long list of endorsements and sponsorships. Among these collaborations are a line of iced coffees called Grumppuccinos, a “spokescat” gig for Friskies cat food, several book deals, and even a Lifetime movie, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Facebook: 7,542,682 likes Twitter: 281k followers Instagram: 663k followers In 2010 the blog Diary of Numbers came out with a post that there was approximately 1.3 billion cat pictures on the Internet. Jump five years forward and who knows how high that number is now. Love for our pets appears to have reached an all-time high. Off-line, the U.S. spent an estimated $58.51 billion on pets in 2014, a number that has tripled from 20 years ago. And online the numbers are even more drastic. A study done by the MSLGROUP estimates that there are around 23 million social media accounts for pets. There was even a book published in 2014 called, How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom. Self-proclaimed animal lovers ourselves, we work with several great pet product clients here at Revolution. While working with AKC GOLD, we worked with “petfluencers” first-hand and saw how much weight they really carry with their community. During the holiday season of 2014 we worked with one of our favorite famous pets, Manny the Frenchie, to promote his favorite AKC Gold products. The campaign, which was comprised of a flash sale of AKC Gold products on Manny’s website, an AKC Gold discount for his readers and heavy social media promotion, was a huge success. The partnership resulted in over $1,000 in sales for AKC Gold as well as over 300 total new Facebook followers. We can’t wait to work with more famous four-leggers in the future! Partnering with “petfluencers” is different than a partnership with a blogger (and not only because they have four legs instead of two!) Here are tips we learned for successfully working with famous pets: Social Media is the Cat’s Meow Most Internet pets became (and remain) famous thanks to social media. They have thousands of followers and do the majority of their communication through social media. Knowing this, it is important to incorporate social media when working with them. Having suggestions of tweets for promoting your partnership through social media (like we did with Manny the Frenchie) will go a long way with “petfluencers.” With their social media expertise you can also connect with them before ever sending an email. Like their Instagram photos or retweet one of their photos to help start the relationship on a positive note. It’s Not Always a Dog-Eat-Dog World For many famous pets and their owners, making money is not their number one priority. While they enjoy the benefits that come with being famous, what they really enjoy is showing off their animal and curating fun content for their community. A lot of famous animals work to spread animal awareness and even spend a percentage of their compensation on charity. Be aware of this so that you can go into a pitch or partnership with an open mind for what may be asked in terms of payment. Fun & Furry Partnerships Unlike bloggers, “petfluencers” often handle partnerships in a variety of ways. While they can review and write about your product, they might also be open to more creative promotions and partnerships. Examples we have seen include partnering to sell your product, being your “spokesanimal”, holding a social media contest, or even making an event appearance. So think outside the box when you are considering how to pitch or work with these famous animals. Do you have any favorite Internet animals or tips for partnering with them? We would love to hear! Share with us on Facebook or Twitter.   - Brenna