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InsightsPet owner dependence on the veterinarian is a significant indicator of spending behavior.
In January 2009, Trone® reported the results of a consumer study that identified six unique segments of pet owners. These attitudinally and behaviorally based groups displayed distinctly different relationships with their pets which were reflected in their pet-related spending.
As a follow-up, in December 2009, Trone launched another pet owner survey utilizing our opinions@trone database and infrastructure. This study, while confirming the findings of the previous work, uncovered interesting new information about the relationship between pet owners and veterinarians. The degree to which pet owners are dependent on the veterinarian is also a strong predictor of spending behaviors. And, it is not limited to spending exclusively done in the clinic.
Of the 945 pet owners surveyed (559 dog owners and 386 cat owners), 43% of dog and 34% of cat owners were deemed to be veterinarian dependent. Many of the behaviors distinguishing this group were definitional. As you would expect, owners who are veterinarian dependent are appreciably more likely to take their pet to the veterinarian two or more times a year. And they expect to spend significantly more on veterinary services over the lifetime of their pet than do their non-vet-dependent counterparts.
Veterinarian-dependent pet owners and their non-dependent counterparts share many common attributes.
Not surprisingly, dependence on a veterinarian is somewhat income driven. The vet-dependent group was 72% more likely to have an HHI over $75,000. But, households with incomes greater than $75,000 were less than 23% of the sample. Trust in the veterinarian and concern for the pet are even less likely than income to explain the dependence. 95% of the vet-dependent audience indicated a high level of trust in their veterinarian’s recommendations which was mirrored by the 90% of non-vet-dependent respondents who also trust their vet. The study included a number of measures of concern about their pets. On most of the questions there were only marginal differences demonstrated by the two groups. For example, when asked about the importance of protecting their pets from common parasites (fleas, ticks and heartworm), agreement numbers didn’t vary as much as 10% for the two groups.
The level of engagement differences between veterinarian-dependent and non-vet-dependent pet owners is evident in a range of behaviors.
While both groups have modified their pet-related spending as a result of the economic downturn, the veterinarian-dependent group has widened the spending gap. They’ve reduced their already higher spending levels less than the non-vet-dependent segment.
The vet-dependent group demonstrates a higher degree of product brand loyalty. They are 22% more likely to agree with the statement that they shop the stores that carry the brands they like rather than buying the brands that the store they like carries than their non-vet-dependent counterparts. As a result of this attitude, they are much more likely to shop the breadth of available outlets, including online. The sole exception is mass merchants which attract more non-vet-dependent customers in all categories from food (77% v. 56%) to flea and tick medications (43% v. 22%).
Veterinarian-dependent owners are also much more likely to have consulted with their veterinarian on purchases made outside the clinic. For example, they are more than three times as likely to have sought input on non-prescription food choices. And, they are more likely to act on the input they receive. 62% of vet-dependent pet owners have changed a basic product (i.e. food, shampoo, flea/tick treatment, etc.) in the past two years based on advice they received from their vet while only 11% of the non-vet-dependent group has taken such actions.
The challenge for marketers is to influence the influencer.
The challenge for marketers is leveraging the power of this highly influential veterinary group. In some cases the need is obvious. If a product is sold through the vet channel, some degree of engagement is necessary to achieve shelf space. But, taking the relationship beyond the basics and making your brand the preferred and hopefully, recommended choice is key. For products not sold within the veterinary channel the challenge is even greater. How do you engage the veterinarian to speak well of your brand? Must you rely on the pet owner to broach the subject or can your product interject itself into the conversation via the veterinarian? To answer these and the myriad of other questions that arise requires a unique understanding of the brand, the target, the influencer and the environment in which they interact.
If you are interested in connecting with pet owners, email Kimberly, our pet team lead.
AdAge’s Bob Garfield doesn’t think so. But Bob seems to take pleasure in being the curmudgeon of advertising. If you haven’t seen this campaign on the air, then take a look. I’ll have to admit, this brutal honesty and self-awareness caught me off guard. Sure, I was curious to see if they really made their product better. But more importantly, I empathized with the brand. Not just the brand, but the people behind the brand. Call me naive, but I think they actually humanized the brand.
Focus group poop
We all know how it feels to have our work pooped on, whether the criticism is deserved or not. Those of us who have had our work scrutinized, misinterpreted, and rewritten by a focus group have a unique appreciation for the reaction of the Domino’s chefs as they listen to the feedback about the cardboard crust and the sauce that tastes like ketchup. Of course we can assume that these reaction shots of dejected chefs were staged for this spot, but the emotion has got to be real.
Transparency chic
Transparency is the new black. So many brands are attempting to at least look honest and accessible by letting everyone peek behind the curtain. Even our government is getting in on that action. When you go to the Pizza Turnaround website, you’ll see real time tweets about the new pizza and the campaign. It seems to be unfiltered. I saw plenty of negative comments, but the majority seem to be supportive and appreciative.
Insight that can’t be ignored
When a brand is as plagued by negativity and bad luck as Domino’s, you can’t pretend everything is fine. A “new and improved” message would have been a yawn. I think this was the only move left for this brand. And because I now feel something for them, I hope it works.
Are families as loyal to their favorite brands as they used to be? WGHP-TV FOX8 turned to Trone insights for the basis of this story.
As marketers, we’ve all fallen into this trap. We look at the description of the target audience and say, “That’s me!” Then we start thinking we can be the ultimate judge of the creative work and all we have to do is pick the ad that appeals to us personally. But it’s not that easy. No matter how much passion you have for the brand you work on, no matter how much you resemble the target persona, you’re still not the target. Here’s why.
1. You care too much. It’s not possible for you to be impartial when making decisions about the brand’s communication because you have a personal stake in the outcome. Of course you can still make good decisions; it just means you need to remember that the target audience doesn’t want your product. They only want what it can do for them.
2. You know too much. Even your best brand advocates don’t know your brand as well as you do. Your target audience doesn’t know your brand’s quarterly sales figures or manufacturing specs. They might not even remember your tagline. To reiterate the point from above: they only want to know what your brand can do for them.
3. You think too much. You spend a lot of time thinking about the product, the brand, the distribution channels, the competitive environment, the purchase decision process, and so on. The reality is that the target is not going to think that hard about it, even for a so-called high-involvement purchase decision. They may only think, “What can this brand do for me?”
So you’re never really the target. That’s great! Why? Because you don’t have to be the target to communicate with the target.
But what you do need is the right insight about who they are to start a meaningful conversation about what your brand can do for them. And when you’re ready to judge the creative work, remember whose eyes you need to look through.
A small bank based in Fort Worth Texas went after the big guys. And so far, it’s working. One billboard at a time, they are riding the wave of consumer opinion that the banks must have done something wrong if they needed TARP money. By letting people know that Worthington Bank didn’t take any of that money, they are creating a halo effect. People are feeling more comfortable putting their money into Worthington. But comfort isn’t the only motivating factor. It’s pride. Most people have worked very hard for what savings they have and take pride in knowing that they’ve been able to survive on their own without much help from others. They relate to a bank that does the same. It’s not that they wanted the economy to go into a tailspin or that they don’t think people should get help when they need it. But banks are not exactly an easy institution to sympathize with. And consumers understand that no matter how small their account is, what they do with their money is in fact a vote for what they stand for. Understanding this consumer insight has proved to be priceless.
Billboards saying things such as “Just say no to Bailout Banks. Bank responsibly,” “Did your bank take a bailout? We didn’t,” and my personal favorite that was placed next to the local zoo “Don’t feed the animals” with the word animals crossed out and “big banks” scribbled in.
And while big banks are crying foul saying that TARP money was important and helped a lot of people out, this little bank is growing rapidly. To the tune of $5 million in new deposits since the launch of the campaign. In their own little way, consumers are saying enough is enough with the poor me mentality of big banks.
After all, if we’ve learned anything from the automobile manufacturer Ford lately, it’s that stability is still part of the American dream.
Here is a video about the work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SNCuQ04ang.
Some of the back and forth about the campaign:
http://www2.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-9218440-12642
http://www.bizpress.net/display.php?id=9849
