The Pet Advocacy Network, formerly known as the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), has rebranded with a new name, logo and website that reflects its evolution over the past 50 years as the legislative and regulatory voice of the responsible pet care community. The pet trade and advocacy association made the announcement at its 50th anniversary celebration reception, held in conjunction with the Global Pet Expo trade show in Orlando, Fla., in March.
“Pet Advocacy Network embodies who we are, what we do and why we do it,” said Mike Bober, president and CEO of Pet Advocacy Network. “This new name purposefully aligns with our role as a connector for the responsible pet care community to lawmakers, governing bodies and coalitions in the US and worldwide advocating for the well-being of pets and the value of animal companionship.”
Research for the Pet Advocacy Network’s rebranding efforts started in early 2021 with a comprehensive communications audit, interviews with key stakeholders and a survey of select pet care community audiences. The results revealed that the name PIJAC no longer resonated with audiences and did not effectively represent who the organization is or what it does, association officials said.
“The name PIJAC served us well for our first 50 years, but it was apparent after the research was conducted that it was time to make a change for the future,” said John Mack III, Pet Advocacy Network board chair and founder and CEO of Reptiles by Mack in Xenia, Ohio. “Becoming the Pet Advocacy Network best represents our mission to advocate for animal well-being and responsible pet ownership, access to healthy pets and environmental stewardship.”
Pet Advocacy Network’s new logo was designed with intentional symbolism, officials said. The brand colors were chosen to represent the different environments where the animals that become beloved pets live and are arranged in a way that corresponds with each environment, with light blue representing air, green representing land and dark blue representing the sea, officials added. The logomark was constructed to represent a stylized animal face, suggesting eyes, a nose, ears and whiskers. The individual sections of the logo mark resemble hearts, birds or ornamental fish.
In addition, the organization unveiled its new website, petadvocacy.org. Visitors to the site will see a refreshed, modern design and streamlined navigation, officials said. The pet care community will also appreciate a more efficient member registration and donation process and an easy-to-navigate library of expert-backed resources including animal care guides and retailer best-management practices, officials added. Additional website features include an updated advocacy section to view state and federal legislation and local ordinances that the Pet Advocacy Network is tracking.
The Pet Advocacy Network continuously monitors information sources to learn about proposed government bills and actions that could help or harm their members’ businesses, and acts, as needed, to advance or stop prospective legislation or regulations before they become law, officials said. This work is especially crucial as the percentage of US households containing at least one pet continues to rise while legislative and regulatory challenges to restrict opportunities for pet ownership or impede access to pet care products and services intensify, officials added.
The Pet Advocacy Network kicked off its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration in December 2021 with a series of social media posts depicting 50 memorable moments from the organization’s history of positive pet and pet care advancements. In addition to the event held at Global Pet Expo, there will be another celebratory event at SuperZoo, which will be held in Las Vegas Aug. 23-25.
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