For new brands and challenger brands alike, investing in experiential marketing doesn’t always require a huge budget or “bold” plan. If you’re observant and laser-focused on your audience, as Dylan Jones, founder of new-to-market LYX Hydration mixes for dogs, advocates for, then organic growth comes naturally. 

Inspired by his experience working alongside military working dogs, he founded LYX Hydration to support canine hydration, recovery, and overall wellness. Today, the company is helping educate dog owners about the important role hydration plays in a dog’s health while supporting everyone from family pets to elite canine athletes.

Rather than asking attendees to simply rate the booth or the experience, we focus on understanding people, their routines, behaviors, frustrations and unmet needs as dog owners. We believe the most valuable insight isn’t whether someone enjoyed the event; it’s discovering something that can influence what we build or do next. 

Called ‘Dogvertising,’ the activation reimagines traditional event media through a dog's perspective. Instead of human eye-level advertising, LYX created bacon-scented dog-height signage, hydration checkpoints, sniff stations, play experiences, hydration testing and interactive touchpoints designed around how dogs actually move, play, hydrate and experience the world.

Jones came up with the idea while serving in the U.S. Air Force and seeing working dogs struggling to stay hydrated. After experimenting and a rebrand, Jones and his partners came up with the final formulation: Electrolytes and chicken or beef broth that can be mixed with water or sprinkled on food.