SMI #020: Dog Park Live Streams
Opportunity in a Tweet:
Build a live stream for dog parks so you can see how many dogs are there before you go. Make it mobile first and subscription based. Revenue generated from dog owners tuning in and town halls setting up.
The Problem:
I always feel bad when me and Walter go to the park only to discover there are no other dogs for him to play with. Then I feel bad for myself because I end up chasing him around like a nut, hurdling the dog obstacle course like a clumsy Sea Biscuit, trying to give him a workout.
Most people who live in cities, I’ve experienced, live about a mile from a dog park and make one to two trips a day when their work schedules allow. It would be great if you could open an app on your phone and tune into a live stream of the local dog park. This way you could get a sense of the activity level before making the trip.
What This Is:
Live streaming
Requires a camera and connection to be set up at park
Mobile first
Ability to count how many dogs are there using shape recognition
What This Isn’t:
Directly for dogs to use because they don’t know how to use phones
Thesis:
People love their pets and continually prove it with their wallets
These days pet owners are treating their dogs like family, from feeding them organic food to splurging on premium health insurance
Quick tangent - apparently ACL tears aren’t covered under dog insurance. Go figure. My dog “feigned” a major ligament injury and we thought we were going to get stiffed with a $5K bill. Luckily we discovered he was limping only because he had a piece of lint lodged in his paw that he found unbearably uncomfortable
The rise of video door bells, dash cams, and baby monitors
Our homes and cars are becoming “always on”
Grandparents can now tune into live feeds of baby monitors from across the country
Most entryways are armed with video doorbells, which catch footage of the rare bear or mountain lion (quickly posted to neighborhood watchdog Facebook groups) or more commonly, Amazon delivery workers
Voyeurism will never go away
I remember in the early 2000’s going to Abercrombie at the mall (I was shopping for a friend, OK) and they had a live stream of Huntington Beach. I thought it was so cool to peer in on raw raw footage of surfers and beach goers in action. Coming from the cold northeast this seemed like a world away, yet it was gong on at the exact same time
There’s something inherent about human nature where we love to watch others from a far; how many times have you sat outside of a café and people watched?
If you’re ever having a bad day, there’s a Penguin Cam at the San Diego zoo that’s a real hoot - check it out
Back of the Napkin Market Sizing
*Assumes there are more households per dog park in city vs USA average
To Get the Ball Rolling, Sisyphus Says
Focus on dog parks in major cities - not all dog owners go to the park, especially if they are in the suburbs and have a yard
Approximately 600 of the total dog parks in the USA are in the top ten metropolitan areas
Try to get the local town hall to pay for the equipment and maintenance by pitching “increased community engagement”
Kinda Biased Competitive Landscape
How It Makes Money
Why This Might Fail
People may go to the park at the same time every day
Many people get into a pattern where they take their dog in the morning and at night around the same times and might not find the extra information important
The dogs might not still be there when you show up
A bummer for the good boy
Potentially Reliable Stuff I Read at 3 AM
Irrelevant Post Script No Reputable Business Publication Would Allow
Get Hyped
Get Loud
Get Wise
“Sometimes you have etc. Sometimes etc. has you.”
-Matthew McConoughey, Green Lights