The Goodlife Recipe products, put out by Mars, Inc. (best known for its candy brands), are the latest entry into the pet food industry, with the declaration that "When your pet lives well, you live well." Made of real food versus mostly filler ingredients, the dog and cat food products consist of vegetable, meat, and brown rice ingredients representing a "nutritionally balanced pet food pyramid." The products are free of artificial flavors, dyes, fillers, and preservatives.

The Goodlife Recipe's pyramid is articulated not just as a nutritional concept but also as a design element on all of the product packaging, including its website and ads, evoking the US government's food pyramid but in this case with the key color of green to suggest fresh and natural.

The second major design element the packaging employs is the quasi "chalkboard" positioned prominently in the middle of the packaging. White font displays the brand name in a manner evocative of a woman's handwriting on a chalkboard, complete with little hearts on the “i’s.” The “chalkboard” and folksy handwriting infer a simple, innocent, and wholesome lifestyle.

The third major element is a photograph spanning the top of the packaging that depicts a submissive, content dog or cat (depending on the product). The images suggest that the pet is happy, healthy, and pampered. Primary colors are used to differentiate the formula types, and the total package design scheme is applied to all of its products; this includes snacks and treats (complete with heart-shaped biscuits), as well as all of its advertising, promotions, and website.

The net effect is a very intentional combination of photographic and design elements that evokes and plays on the emotional connections and bonds pet owners already have with their pets. The implication is "if it looks and sounds good enough for me to eat, of course I'll give it to my pet."

The Goodlife Recipe's closest competitors are One Natural Blends, Natural Choice, and a litany of holistic/organic brands offered at the higher end of the retail price spectrum. While the other brands also focus on natural nutrition for pets, their packaging and brand visuals lack the rich visual imagery employed by the Goodlife Recipe. Consequently, the other brands lack the emotional connection with customers that the Goodlife Recipe has developed through branding.

Pet food makers have sustained a major blow in the last several weeks due to recalled pet food containing wheat gluten contaminated with the chemical melamine. Mostly affecting Menu Foods products, including Nutro Max, Eukanuba and Iams, as well as a handful of other manufacturers, the contaminated foods lead to the deaths of many pets across the US. Pet food is a highly regulated industry in the US and is governed by the FDA, the Agriculture Department, and state authorities. As of this writing, the Goodlife Recipe is not a part of the nationwide recall.

Alycia de Mesa is a brand consultant, speaker and writer with more than a decade of industry experience ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Her latest book is Brand Avatar – Translating Virtual World Branding Into Real World Success (Palgrave-Macmillan).