Acclaimed authors Brad and Deb Schepp have written quite a bit about the importance of corporate philanthropy and social responsibility. Their new article for the Auctiva business education site, “The Tweet Smell of Success,” features Halo’s success on Twitter, the popular microblogging site.

Explaining that the secret to Twitter success is having a product and company you can truly believe in, the article tells why Halo – “the quality leader in holistic pet care” — has been easy to promote. One reason is “Ellen fans and thousands of other animal lovers flock to Halo’s animal rescue activity on Twitter.”

Click over to our news page for the whole story.

Every time we sponsor a Freekibble.com or Freekibblekat.com event to help shelter pets on Twitter, People Pets sends notice to their 1 million + followers. Sometimes People Magazine does the same, reaching their 1.9 million followers! Most recently, they were kind enough to promote the Hi-5 event, which resulted in 20,000 meals donated. Here’s People Pets’ most recent tweet.

Mimi Ausland, the 13 year old force behind Halo philanthropic partner Freekibble, is featured on the Tonic “goodness” web site. It’s the second feature article on Mimi written by Halo blogger Diane Herbst (who first covered her for People Magazine). We’re honored to be included in the story!

Here are a couple tidbits from Diane’s article:

When she was a toddler, Mimi Ausland loved animals so much her parents called her Dr. Doolittle. At her home in Bend, Oregon, Mimi rescued injured birds and fish, even spiders. At the age of seven, told she was too young to work at the local Humane Society, Mimi started mailing spare change to the shelter. “She just has this huge heart and it plays out with animals,” says her father, Kelly, 48. “She’s always been protective and passionate about animals.”

And:

Since its start on April 1, 2008, Freekibble.com has donated more than 400,000 pounds of dog and cat food. The organization is the sole supplier of food for 14 shelters across the country. Another 60 rescues have received tens of thousands of pounds of huge one-time donations. An average of 45,000 people visit the site daily. “It’s so cool, it’s really exciting,” says Mimi, a seventh grader. “I knew it was important that I did something for others.”

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Saying “the natural pet food market has more than doubled” since 2005, the Boston Globe explains that “Americans in tough times may scrimp on themselves, but not on Rover.”

We appreciate their talking about Halo and Halo co-owner Ellen DeGeneres as part of this national trend. They further discuss why people are willing to pay a bit more:

“Tighter budgets have many consumers spending more time at home with their pets, highlighting their importance in the family and making their owners more likely to spend discretionary dollars on them,’’ said Mark Kalaygian, editor-in-chief of Pet Business, a magazine for pet retailers. “And the high cost of veterinary care is making pet owners more aware of the importance of preventive care, which starts with providing optimal nutrition.’’

At the same time, the outbreak of contaminated pet food that sickened and killed pets across the country in 2007 helped fuel interest in natural pet foods and prompt consumers to feed their own felines and pooches only the finest.

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Petfood Industry, the influential trade magazine, features Halo on its February 2010 cover. “Catering to the Conscientious” tells of Halo’s origins in Andi Brown’s kitchen, and the core philosophy that hasn’t changed for over 20 years. Halo CEO Steve Marton (seen on the magazine cover with his good friend Stosch) tells the story in an exclusive interview.

Here’s a sneak peak.

“Halo products have the best ingredients for dogs and cats. Plain and simple, that’s what we strive to be known for,” explains Marton. “That’s why Ellen DeGeneres became a part owner of our company. That’s why she spreads the word.”

“As more consumers are reading ingredients labels –and understanding what the ingredients are—our sales improve. For example, consumers are just starting to understand ingredients like chicken meal, which is a rendered meat.”

Click over to our news page for the whole story.