Nulo ties Olympics campaign to gains at independent pet retailers

Version 1 — Brief

Nulo says its Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics advertising push, paired with an in-store promotion for independent pet retailers, helped lift sales and store traffic. According to Pet Age, the campaign generated 46 million TV impressions, more than 2,500 independent retailers participated with Olympic-themed displays, and Nulo posted an 8.1% sales gain across the latest 52-week period among the top 15 pet specialty brands. The effort builds on Nulo’s broader “Fuel Incredible” platform, which has used Olympic and Paralympic athlete partnerships, broadcast, social, and retail activations to raise brand visibility in pet specialty. Trade coverage and campaign materials show Nulo has been extending that strategy from the 2024 Paris Games into the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games, with athlete-led creative designed to connect premium nutrition messaging to performance and pet wellbeing. (petfoodindustry.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is another sign that consumer-facing marketing around premium nutrition is getting more sophisticated, and that independent pet retailers remain a key education and recommendation channel. Nulo has long emphasized support for specialty retail partners, and its recent distribution and merchandising moves suggest the company is trying to translate national media into local sell-through. That matters in practice because veterinary teams are often asked to help pet parents sort through heavily marketed nutrition claims, especially as brands tie performance, functional benefits, and lifestyle storytelling more closely to product positioning. (mainpostpartners.com)

What to watch: Watch for whether Nulo discloses more concrete sell-through data, retailer retention figures, or category-level gains as the Milan-Cortina campaign matures through 2026. (northeast.newschannelnebraska.com)