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GILLIE GABAY
College of Management Academic Studies, Rishon LeZion, Israel
HOWARD R. MOSKOWITZ
Moskowitz Jacobs, Inc., White Plains, New York
KENNETH J. ROTONDO
iNovum, LLC, Saratoga Springs, New York
DOUGLAS G. ASPROS
Bond Animal Hospital, White Plains, New York
G. Gabay etal.
INTRODUCTION
Pets are becoming increasingly valued members of the American household. A survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association
revealed that 80% of respondents give their pets a holiday or birthday
gifts; 77% regard themselves as parents or guardians of their pets; 54%
would prefer their pets company to that of a human if trapped on a desert
island; 48% prepare special meals for their pets; and 33% call home to talk
to their pets through telephone answering machines (Cotlier & Miller,
2002; Potts, 1999). As a result, the ascribed human nature of pets open
up new opportunities for veterinarians to offer their services and market
to clients, based on satisfying the client needs, and the perceived needs of
the pets.
Prior research on veterinarian marketing indicates that veterinarians
generate a wide range of responses to the idea of advertising their services
(Stevens, McConkey, & Loudon, 1994). Furthermore, most veterinarians who
advertise do so to promote their services. Veterinarians feel that advertising
would increase the demand for their services, and would help customers
both to understand the use of veterinarian services as well as to select a
competent veterinarian. Consumers welcome such advertising as well. A
study by Stevens, Loudon, and Williamson (1995) on consumer attitudes
toward veterinarian advertising concluded that consumers would appreciate
advertising by veterinarians. Their research indicated that veterinarian advertising helps provide useful information to the public. Even though respondents knew that advertising costs increases the veterinary fees, their view
of veterinarians remained positive (Hite, 1982; Miller & Waller, 1979).
Furthermore, respondents were more concerned with quality of service, personal recommendations, and the location of the veterinary services than they
were with price. Because pet owners, especially those who do not have
children, are increasingly devoted to their pets, they want more information
about service quality and type and view advertising of veterinary services
favorably. Although consumers like to compare pricing, quality seemed to be
more important to them than price (Stevens etal., 1994; Stevens etal., 1995).
Thus, although the market tends to expand, it remains price insensitive (Lee,
2006).
Communicating veterinary quality to consumers may increase the demand
for high-priced services such as treatment for illness or accident. Advertising
can also increase high-volume services, such as immunization (Stevens etal.,
1995). Additionally, marketing can also benefit nontraditional pet services as
veterinarians continue to branch into other products and services. For
instance, many veterinarians also sell pet food, pet insurance, and online pet
products, taking business away from other branches (Garcia, 1999; Liesse,
1993).
G. Gabay etal.
the marketer attempts to drill down to the specific topic area. That is, the segmentation is general, covering many aspects of ones life, but the application
attempts to be specific, to a particular area of life that may or may not be
directly related to the segmentation (Mitchell, 1983).
Recently, a different approach to segmentation has been suggested,
which deals with the local, more granular aspect of products and services
(Gofman & Moskowitz, 2007). This segmentation uses responses to specific
concepts, and more particularly, responses to the elements of the concepts.
Individuals to be segmented are exposed to test concepts that have been
systematically varied to comprise different elements, or messages. Each
message generates its own impact value. The pattern of these impact values
for a given customer defines the mental profile of that customer for a
particular service (e.g., veterinary services). When a reasonable number of
individual respondents have gone through the test (n > 100), rating concepts,
and having the impact of each element deduced, then one can cluster
these different respondents into groups based upon the pattern of impacts.
This response-based segmentation can thus deal with specific, momentary
issues in the world of products and services. When it comes to veterinary
services, the segmentation can be focused on only those elements dealing
with specific veterinary issues, such as responses to a first visit to the vet.
We present this article as the combination of psychology and marketing,
directed towards the professional service of the veterinary hospital. Veterinary
medicine, like other medical professions, is challenged increasingly by technology on the one hand, and by relentless competition on the other. In addition to technological advances, however, there is the ever-present influence
of emotions. In this study, we assessed the appeal of advertising messages
such as descriptions of the doctors practice, the physical technology available, and hours available, which reflect service quality and might be used to
convey the nature of the veterinary practice.
Through experimental design of ideas, so-called conjoint analysis (Cattin &
Wittink, 1982; Green & Srinivasan, 1980) we illustrate the response-based segmentation and three emergent clusters, or mind-sets. Our ingoing data will comprise different messages about aspects of the first visit, including descriptions of
the doctors practice, the physical technology available, and hours available.
These are typical messages that might be used to convey the nature of the practice. Through the response to these messages, we will illustrate how to uncover
the mind-sets of current customers, how to deeply understand the concrete and
emotional factors that drive customer interest, and how to type new customers.
silos, with a silo comprising related elements or phrases. Each of six silos
comprises six elements each. The notion of silos and elements is a useful
way to ensure that potentially incompatible messages never appear with
each other.
The elements are single-minded, stand-alone ideas which can be later
combined into test vignettes or concepts by experimental design (Box,
Hunter, & Hunter, 1978). Table 1 presents these six silos of six elements. The
elements are developed by assessing current veterinary practice, both ones
own and that of colleagues and competitors, and in some cases looking at
TABLE 1 The Six Silos and Six Elements Within Each Silo
Silos
Silo 1: Services
Elements
G. Gabay etal.
other, related areas, such as regular medical hospitals that provide analogous
services. Since the objective of the study is to understand what works rapidly, but also iteratively, one need not be 100% certain of being correct each
time. One can test the elements in a study, and then return relatively soon
for a second and third iteration.
RESPONDENTS
The respondents were current clients at the senior authors veterinary practice. All respondents in the study provided their e-mail addresses. The
respondents tended, as a consequence, to be more web-savvy, and somewhat younger, a slight bias that revealed itself in the larger number of younger
respondents than the older respondents.
As is the typical practice in these types of projects, respondents were
invited by an e-mail to participate (see Figure 1 for the invitation). Respondents
who agree to participate merely clicked on the link and were led to the
study, which was scheduled to last no more than 20 minutes in order to
reduce the number respondents who would drop out in the middle of the
interview because of length (Mac Elroy, 2000). Note also in Figure 1 that the
invitation was personalized with both the respondents first and last names.
This format allows the interview to be more friendly, yet at the same time
Test Stimuli
The six silos and six elements comprised a total of 36 elements. An experimental design specified 48 combinations of these elements for each respondent. Within the set of 48 combinations each element appeared three times
and was absent the remaining 45 times. The experimental design ensured
that each concept would comprise no fewer than two elements, no more
than four elements, and no more than one element from any silo. The set of
48 combinations differed across respondents, ensuring that no particular
combination of elements would appear unduly often to bias the results
(Moskowitz & Gofman, 2004). Finally, the experimental design was created
G. Gabay etal.
FIGURE 3 Example of a test screen showing a four-element concept (top), and the two
rating questions (bottom).
RESULTS
The ending sample comprised 109 respondents from one practice. Information
about the individual respondents was collected after the evaluation of the 48
concepts by means of a classification questionnaire (see Table 2). The questionnaire obtained information about the respondents geo-demographic
qualifications (age, community of residence, income, children at home) and
different aspects of attitudes and behaviors towards pets (number and type
of pets owned, attitude towards the pet, last visit to the vet, food fed to the
pet, where the pet sleeps, activities with the pet). The mind-set segments to
which the respondents belong are discussed next. Information of the type
presented in Table 2 is important, both to understand who is responding
and to create summary models for each group showing what messaging is
important for getting a pet owner to visit the veterinarian.
Respondent information
Age
2130
3140
4150
5160
6170
Over 70
Area where owner resides
Urban
Suburban
Rural
Annual income
Under 35K
35K50K
50K75K
75K100K
100K150K
150K200K
Over 200K
No answer
Number of children
Have children at home
1 child at home
2 children at home
3 children at home
More than 5 children
at home
Number of pets owned
1
2
3
45
More than 6
Dog
Cat
Bird
Fish
Amphibian
Respondent information
74
17
12
5
1
Other
Attitude towards the pet
Pet is family
Pet is a service animal
Pet is just a pet
I love the pet
Other
Last visit to the vet
Past month
Past 3 months
Past 6 months
Past year
Longer than a year
Food fed to pet
Table food
Commercial diet
Specialty diet
Organic
Raw diet
Other
Where the pet sleeps
On bed
In bedroom
Elsewhere in the house
In a crate
Other
56
23
9
11
8
60
41
15
11
2
18
30
25
28
6
2
30
74
5
5
9
17
17
13
10
14
24
n
23
83
0
1
17
8
42
32
18
11
5
25
64
35
16
8
20
45
18
29
5
11
58
50
35
73
36
73
36
36
37
price of the first visit. It is important to keep in mind that the respondents
evaluated combinations of elements, and from those combinations assigned
those ratings. Thus, the elements compete with each other to drive the rating.
Elements that are frequently associated with high ratings will show high
impact values, and elements that are frequently associated with low ratings
will show low impact values.
Each individual evaluated 48 different test stimuli with every element
appearing statistically independently of every other element. This experiment design allows the ratings for each individual to be used in an individual
model, or an actuality three models, as follows. The independent variables
10
G. Gabay etal.
for the models are the 36 elements, which are either present or absent. There
are three separate dependent variables, generating three models.
11
RESULTS
Results From the Total Panel: What Is Important and How
Much Will People Pay
The first analysis looks at the results from the 109 respondents. Each respondent generated an individual model comprising an additive constant and 36
coefficients for interest, and a separate individual model for price would
pay. The average coefficients appear in Table 3. The elements are sorted in
descending order based upon the coefficient of the interest model for use.
Looking first at the use model, the additive constant is 66, meaning that
two thirds of the respondents would consider visiting the veterinarian without any additional information being provided. This high additive constant is
to be expected because the respondents were already part of the veterinary
practice of the sponsoring group.
What becomes important is the ranking for the different elements.
Norms for these types of studies suggest that:
Based on these norms we see three strong performing elements, with impacts
of 911: Emergency services available 24/7; You see the same veterinarian
every time who knows your pet; Board certified specialists available for best quality care.
We also see a number of negative elements, which are frills: Separate
waiting areas for dogs and cats and You receive a personal holiday card
from our staff.
In terms of expected fee to be paid on the initial visit, the additive
constant suggests $51. There is relatively little in the way of additional
money that one could charge, however, for other services, at least on the
initial visit. The element emergency services available 24/7 might allow
the fee to be increased $3$4, increasing the price of the initial visit from
$51 to $55.
12
G. Gabay etal.
TABLE 3 Coefficients From the Interest Model for Interest in Visiting the Veterinarian (Use)
and Expected Fee That Would Be Paid for the Initial Visit (Fee; N = 109)
Additive constant
Emergency services available 24/7
You see the same veterinarian every time, who knows your pet
Board-certified specialists available for best quality care
We treat your pet like a family member
Evening and weekend hours for your convenience
Client- and pet-friendly, warm, and supportive practice
Website available that offers a wealth of reliable information
On-site laboratory, immediate results aid in timely treatment
Digital x-rays, high-quality images are available immediately for remote
consultation
Comprehensive medical, dental, and surgical care
We offer boarding facilities with veterinary supervision
Ultrasonography and echocardiography, advanced diagnostic capabilities
Examination areas are sanitized after each patient, for you and your pets
health
Nutritional counseling and prescription diets available
State-of-the-art dental care is available
You can expect to be seen at your scheduled time
After your pets treatment you can expect a follow-up phone call
Computerized medical records allow for security and immediate retrieval
Easy to understand and follow take-home information
Convenient parking
Preventive health care, safeguards your pets health
Always a clean and fresh-smelling environment
Surgical laser is used to enhance comfort and healing
Refill prescriptions on our website
You get an e-mail reminder for routine wellness care
Phone calls answered efficiently and productively
You get a postcard reminder for routine wellness care
New and contemporary facility
Specially constructed exam rooms; quiet, private environment
Convenient location
Tours of facility always available
Doctors and staff dressed neatly in clean medical uniforms
Make your appointment online
Spacious waiting and exam areas, for you and your pets comfort
Separate waiting areas for dogs and cats
You receive a personal holiday card from our staff
Use
Fee
66
11
10
9
7
6
6
6
6
6
51
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
5
5
5
2
2
1
2
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
3
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
13
14
G. Gabay etal.
TABLE 4 The Five Best-Performing Elements for the Total Panel and for the Three Mind-Set
Segments; Segmentation Is Based on Responses to Question 1, About Likelihood of Going to
the Veterinarian
Total Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3
A3
F2
A6
F3
D1
E6
C2
C1
F2
F1
B5
D1
F2
D3
D2
A3
A3
E6
A6
A5
E3
Base size
Additive constant
Total panel
Emergency services available 24/7
You see the same veterinarian every
time who knows your pet
Board certified specialists available for best quality care
We treat your pet like a family member
Digital x-rays high quality images are
available immediately for remote
consultation
Evening and weekend hours for your
convenience
Segment 1: Warm and reassuring
professionals
Web site available and offers a wealth of
reliable information
Phone calls answered efficiently and
productively
You see the same veterinarian every
time who knows your pet
Client and pet friendly warm and
supportive practice
Specially constructed exam
rooms quiet, private environment
Segment 2: Competence through
technology
Digital x-rays high quality images are
available immediately for remote
consultation
You see the same veterinarian every
time who knows your pet
On site laboratory, immediate results aid
in timely treatment
Ultrasonography and echocardiography advanced diagnostic
capabilities
Emergency services available 24/7
Segment 3: My pet is treated just like a
person
Emergency services available 24/7
Evening and weekend hours for your
convenience
Board certified specialists
available for best quality care
Comprehensive medical, dental and
surgical care
You can expect to be seen at your
scheduled time
109
66
36
85
36
49
37
65
11
10
4
6
17
19
20
6
17
14
7
6
2
4
11
25
8
1
15
10
10
19
10
25
10
19
19
19
11
17
20
11
6
4
4
17
0
20
15
17
14
13
12
15
DISCUSSION
Putting the Segmentation to Use Through Typing
Segmentation generates new insights about what to offer a pet owner in
terms of services, and how best to communicate the appropriate message. It
is clear from Table 3 that the three segments of pet owners want different
things, and that what appeals to one pet owner will not appeal necessarily
to another. Some respondents want emotional communications, others want
factual capabilities, a divergence of receptivities to messaging that is well
known and which occurs in many other situations as well (Golden & Johnson,
1982). Yet these owners appear similar on most measures. How, then, can
one use this information to tailor messages? One might have each pet owner
go through the same study, and then find out the segment that the pet owner
most resembles. This notion of typing by testing can be simplified by a scoring procedure, similar to the scoring procedure used for professional accreditation on the one hand, and mortgage scoring on the other.
In scoring one need not repeat the entire study. Rather, one answers a
few questions, which have been shown to predict membership in a segment.
Of course the prediction is not perfect, but can be made far better than
chance through the appropriate up-front tests (here the test of different concepts at a granular level), and through the appropriate back-end statistical
procedures (here discriminant function analysis; SYSTAT, 2007).
Our ingoing assumption was that the person to be typed or scored
would answer up to four questions, derived from the 36 elements. The
person would use a 19 scale, score the four single elements, and then from
discriminant function analysis the classification equations would be used to
estimate the membership in one of the three segments.
In order to create this scoring function we followed these five steps:
1. For each respondent we used the persuasion model to estimate the
rating on the 9-point scale that a respondent would assign to each of
the 36 elements. The persuasion model allows us to create these oneelement concepts, and estimate the rating.
2. We now have 109 respondents, each of whom belongs to one of three
segments, as well as the estimated rating of each respondent for each
16
G. Gabay etal.
Table 5 shows the percent correct that emerge when we select the most discriminating four elements, the nature of the assignment errors. Table 6 shows
the classification functions, and a worked example based on the individual
who provides the ratings of the four one-element concepts.
Conclusions
Our findings show what messages were most appealing to pet owners. In
accordance to previous studies, appealing messages for the total panel concentrated on the broadness of services (emergency services), quality of care
(board-certified specialists, a vet that knows my pet from previous visits) and
personalization (a vet that treats my pet as family). When examining appealing messages as driven by the response of the pet owners however, three
mindset segments were exposed.
Looking at the best performing messages for each segment we see that
Segment 1 responds strongly to elements that convey warmth and reassurance (i.e., supportive staff, same vet every time we visit, web site offering
information, answering the phone efficiently and productively and a private
spacious waiting area). Segment 2 responded strongly to technology (i.e., on
site laboratory for immediate results, most advanced diagnostic capabilities,
emergency services, remote consulting and higher quality imaging). Segment
3 responded strongly to treatment that is similar in general nature to that
% correct
30
12
12
54
3
20
3
26
3
4
22
29
83
56
59
66
17
TABLE 6 The Three Classification Functions, and a Worked Example of a Respondent Based
on a Profile of Ratings. The Highest Value of the Classification Function Occurs With Segment
2, so the Respondent Is Assigned to Segment 2
New persons
rating
Segment 1
Segment 2
Segment 3
4.14
3.58
4.67
0.38
0.53
0.61
0.14
1.42
0.29
6
4
0.11
0.79
0.96
0.02
0.55
0.57
1.5
0.08
2.91
given to people (i.e., convenient evening and weekend hours, comprehensive care, to be seen on the scheduled time). These segments appear similar
in terms of geo-demographics and attitudes towards their pets; but when we
analyzed their responses to more granular, relevant phrases that characterize
veterinary services, we found differences among pet owners.
Based on messaging for the total panel veterinarian services may
stress elements of basic interest to attract customers. Basic messaging
would be to offer emergency services, to see the same vet, to treat the pet
as a family member, and a board certification for the specialists. Using four
elements from the mindset segmentation, we identified four most discriminating questions that powerfully classify customers (66% correct classification) and potential customers into segments in the population. Veterinarians
may use data from this study to type customers in the population otherwise
it is difficult to predict the mind-set segment into which the respondent falls.
Mindset segmentation allows veterinarians to benchmark their services,
create added value per customers in each segment and build customer
loyalty.
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