NOAH launches viral marketing campaign
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has launched
a viral video to highlight key pet healthcare messages and raise awareness
of its Pet Health Information website
(www.pethealthinfo.org.uk) among animal lovers.
The new viral video campaign by NOAH is its first venture
into social media. The video, which will be posted on sites such as You Tube
(http://www.youtube.com/petfactor)
and circulated via e-mail, trades on the current craze for TV talent shows
by showing various pet characters auditioning in front of a tough panel of
talent scouts including the handsome canine chair of the panel, Simon Howl.
Each pet in the series of three auditions set to be launched is however
hampered in its performance by a common healthcare issue. The video ends
with a call to action giving viewers the chance to “pledge to treat their
pet like a star” with a downloadable certificate that they can personalise,
print and frame.
The first viral video shows the first character, a dog,
struggling to perform at his best because he has not been wormed. The video
can be seen at (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfaLvwg7m0)
The Pet Health Information website is a NOAH initiative
to help raise awareness of responsible pet care and ownership.
Launched last year, the website features a wealth of
animal health information and advice to help owners and potential owners
make informed decisions about their pets’ healthcare.
With a wide range of topics including information on
buying a pet, health guides, travelling abroad with pets and first aid, the
site features information on a range of species from dogs through to fish.
Research last year by NOAH to mark the launch of the site
showed that pet owners fall into two categories – those who are ‘preventers’
and those who are ‘non-preventers’. Whilst both camps agreed that
responsible pet ownership equaled love and attention resulting in caring,
feeding and exercising their pets, disease prevention was often not seen as
part of this love with only 55% of dogs and 46% of cats over two years of
age being vaccinated against potentially fatal diseases.
‘Preventers’ make a conscious effort to ensure their pet
is protected from a wide range of problems with 96% regarding worming as a
regular part of pet health care, whereas ‘non-preventers’ are more likely
not to worm their pet because they see no reason to do so, with over a
quarter (28%) not deeming it to be necessary.
Alarmingly, the research also showed that the two out of
five owners who sleep in the same room as their pets - with the pet in the
bedroom, on the bed, or even in the bed itself - are no more likely than
other owners to practice preventative health care such as worming or flea
control, despite their close proximity to their pets.
Whilst the facts speak for themselves, many owners still
firmly believe that they know all they need to know about pet health care
and do not actively seek information.
Phil Sketchley, NOAH Chief Executive said: “With this fun
viral video campaign, we are seeking to reach a new audience, to highlight
our Pet Health Information website as a resource and to emphasise the core
preventative health care messages. We think that the pledge element will
appeal particularly strongly to children, who will be able to download the
certificate to show they care about their pet. The talent show element is a
great way of tapping into both the nation’s love of this format and love of
animals, while helping to convey a serious message in a humorous way. Why
not pass it on to your clients and customers and help spread the word?”
For more information on individual species ranging from
dogs through to fish, log on to
www.pethealthinfo.org.uk
11 May 2009
Notes for Editors
For further information contact Phil Sketchley or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131,
or visit the NOAH website.
The National Office of Animal
Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent UK companies which
research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health
products. The association has 31 corporate members and 10 associate
members. In 2006 the NOAH sales survey showed a total market of £373.2m,
around 90% of the total UK market.
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