Will losing its sponsorship of the Westminster Dog Show hurt Pedigree sales?

6/9/11

After 24 years, the Westminster Dog Show has announced that they are walking away from their long-term sponsor -- Pedigree and are instead partnering with Purina.

Press releases suggest that the change was made because the show wants to focus completely on “purebred dogs” and distance itself from Pedigree’s strategy of supporting animal shelters. (Irwin, 2011)

Given the fact that Pedigree’s “Dogs Rule” campaign has been so successful, is this a smart move for the Westminster Dog Show? How will it impact Pedigree?

Irwin, T. (2011, June 7). Purina Outbarks Pedigree For Westminster Deal. mediapost.com. Retrieved June 8, 2011, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=151921