Campaign Chatter

Below are updates regarding the Accreditation Awareness Campaign:

June 1, 2010
Posted: 06/01/2010

Accreditation Awareness Campaign Targets Relocating Pet Owners
AAHA is embarking upon the next phase in our Accreditation Awareness Campaign, reaching out to a prime target audience of pet owners – those relocating. We need your help and want to reward practices that track their new clients based on this campaign with monthly drawings for staff pizza parties.

We discovered that pet owners who are moving would be one of the most likely audiences to switch or begin using an accredited veterinary hospital. For this reason, we’re launching a test campaign to target pet owners as they prepare to move and once again when they arrive at their new location. This campaign will drive pet owners to HealthyPet.com and focus on finding an accredited hospital in their new neighborhood as a primary message.

This movers’ campaign is a large financial investment that requires thorough testing before implementation on a larger scale. This test will cover the northeastern United States, and although the test market doesn’t include your region, there is a possibility that a relocating pet owner could find your practice as a result of this campaign, and we want to prepare you for that. Your participation in this test is absolutely crucial for us to obtain valid results. If the test doesn’t succeed, the Association will not proceed with a wider market in the future.

Pre-Move Online Movers’ Guide
When you move and change your address with the post office you’re offered various coupons for products and services that might be useful during your move. AAHA will have a presence among these offers, not with a coupon, but rather a “Pre-Move Checklist” and messaging encouraging pet owners to visit HealthyPet.com for important information to be aware of as they relocate with their pet.

Post-Move Printed Welcome Kit
Once pet owners have completed their move and arrived at their new home, the first piece of mail they receive is a welcome kit from the post office. This will contain a “Pre-Visit Checklist” from AAHA. This checklist is designed for the pet owner to complete before his/her first visit to an AAHA-accredited hospital, with information about the pet’s lifestyle, past medical history, etc. The pet owner is then encouraged to present this at your practice during the first appointment. Your collection and tracking of these checklists will allow us to track results of the campaign.

Staff Training
Your front desk staff, and ideally, the entire team, should be trained to obtain the following information when a new client calls or walks in the door.

AAHA would like to sincerely thank you for your cooperation on this test campaign and dedication to accreditation. As we’ve said all along, this Accreditation Awareness Campaign depends on members like you. We can’t spread the word about the importance of accreditation without you!

May 6, 2010
Posted: 05/06/2010

More Pet Owners Are Learning the Value of Accreditation Every Day
As you all know, the Accreditation Awareness Campaign has been in full swing for a few months now, and the number of pet owners learning about accreditation is growing every day. As of March 28, more than 37,500,000 impressions have been made in the U.S, including close to 6.2 million viewers that tuned into the Puppy Bowl.

Our numbers in Canada have already surpassed their expectations with more than 23.8 million impressions made so far and over 2.6 million viewers that tuned in to see the Puppy Bowl. Everything from here on out in Canada will be in excess of the original estimated numbers!

Every message in this consumer awareness campaign drives pet owners to HealthyPet.comto learn more about accreditation and to find an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital. The new HealthyPet.comfeatures areas that you can contribute to, including new information you can add to your listing in the AAHA-accredited hospital locator. Add your mission statement, species treated and hours by updating your listing in the “My Hospital” section of your My AAHA account. You can also visit HealthyPet.com to submit adoptable pets to our database or add community events to our “Pet Events” section, by using your AAHA login.

Stay tuned as the campaign continues through the summer…still an estimated 73.1 million impressions to go!

March 1, 2010
Posted: 02/26/2010

The advertisements airing on Animal Planet now through August of this year also premiered during the Puppy Bowl. These commercials, featuring an educational message about accreditation and one of four health issues, including nutrition, pain management, wellness and parasite protection, will air more than 3000 times and are estimated to make 132 million impressions across the U.S. and Canada.

Puppy Bowl VI and the ads you see running throughout Animal Planet are sending viewers to our totally redeveloped consumer website,www.healthypet.com. The site saw an 18% increase in average visitors on February 7 when Puppy Bowl VI aired, has had more than 447,000 visits since it launched in January of this year, and the AAHA-accredited hospital locator housed there has been used close to 32,000 times since the launch.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new HealthyPet.com, you’ll be amazed at the improvements! The new HealthyPet.com features areas that you can contribute to, including new information you can add to your listing in the AAHA-accredited hospital locator. Add your mission statement, species treated and hours by updating your listing in the “My Hospital” section of your My AAHA account.

You can also visit HealthyPet.com to submit adoptable pets to our database or add community events to our “Pet Events” section, by using your AAHA login.

More than 6 million people tuned in to Puppy Bowl VI, and there is an estimated 132 million impressions to be made by the commercials airing now. This is your chance to interact with those potential clients; don’t miss the opportunity!

January 1, 2010
Posted: 12/31/2009

Webcast Teaches You How to Get Staff to Promote Your Accreditation
Join Robin Brogdon, MA, of Blueprints Veterinary Marketing Group, Inc. to discuss branding from the inside out. During this webcast, you will:

• Briefly review the benefits of the new AAHA brand and learn how it will help your practice
• Discuss the role of your team in the accreditation process, before, during, and most importantly after
• Learn how to communicate consistently about your accreditation
• Discover how AAHA plans to implement this $1 million campaign and what support you can expect for yourself as the Accreditation Advocate and your team.

Available on January 26, 2010, under the Accreditation tab and in the Awareness Campaign section, this is webcast is free and open to AAHA-accredited members. This means you can listen in with your entire team at a time that works best in your busy schedule.

Don’t pass up this flexible opportunity to learn more about the campaign and how to involve your entire team.

November 1, 2009
Posted: 10/30/2009

AAHA Names Official Veterinarian for Puppy Bowl VI
Elisa M. Mazzaferro, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, Director of Emergency Services Wheat Ridge Veterinary Specialists, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, was chosen as the official AAHA veterinarian for Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl VI for a variety of reasons. Coming from an accredited general hospital that also has accredited referral specialties, Dr. Mazzaferro exemplifies the commitment to quality care that all AAHA-accredited members have demonstrated through their completion of the accreditation process. She is a well-respected and credentialed veterinarian with impeccable communication skills and experience on camera.

Visit the Awareness Campaign section of www.aahanet.org for more information about Dr. Mazzaferro.

October 1, 2009
Posted: 09/30/2009

Webinar Designed Especially for Accreditation Advocates
We have created a webinar to help accreditation advocates with the task that lies ahead of them. This two part session will provide information about the Accreditation Awareness Campaign and all the details about involvement with Animal Planet. The campaign kicks off with the Puppy Bowl in February 2010, and as your practice’s Accreditation Advocate, you are responsible for making sure that your team is ready.

Join Greg Connel, chairman of the Animal Care Practice for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, as he discusses the importance of branding your practice as AAHA and outlines your role in driving that brand throughout your practice. Topics will include:
   ·         Benefits of effective branding
    ·         Your role as the Accreditation Advocate 
    ·         Tools and support available to help you

The webinar will be available online October 26 at www.aahanet.org. It’s an open access forum, so there’s no need to register, just log on and view at your convenience. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare yourself to prepare your team for the launch of the biggest client outreach campaign in AAHA’s history. It’s free; it’s easy; it’s convenient; it’s you!

Your Clients Will Go to the Web – Give Them Somewhere to Go
Inevitably, pet owners will search the web for more information. Feel good about sending them to www.healthypet.com for trusted information from a reliable industry association. In support of the AAHA Accreditation Awareness Campaign, we’re completely revamping our consumer website with:
   ·         A fresh look and easier navigation
   ·         More in-depth articles on pet health, behavior, travel, relocation and more
   ·         A Kids Klub section with resources just for kids
   ·         Blogs, ask-a-vet, pet health journals, polls, quizzes games and much more

The new HealthyPet.com also includes interactive features that we need your help with:
   ·         An Adopt-a-Pet directory where you can list relinquished pets 
   ·         A community events section for you to contribute to with local activities in your area
   ·         An advanced AAHA-accredited hospital locator that allows you to display your hours, species treated and mission

Visit www.aahanet.org to update your hospital locator listing. You will be able to submit your contributions to www.healthypet.com for the Adopt-a-Pet directory and community events section by January 1, 2010.

September 1, 2009
Posted: 08/27/2009

Attention Accreditation Advocates…Are You Ready?
Actually, before we call attention to you, we need to make sure that we have an Advocate designated for every accredited hospital, AND that we have a valid email address on file for that person. Accreditation Advocates are the point of contact between the Association and your practice. It is extremely important that we have their correct contact information so that you can get the most out of the campaign. You can assign your practice’s Advocate, or change or update contact information by calling 800/883-6301 or logging into the “My AAHA” section of www.aahanet.org.

Now, on to calling their attention. Accreditation Advocates should have received an Accreditation Awareness kit and Accreditation Advocate Toolkit in the mail by now, in a big white box, addressed to them. You should be using the contents of these kits to prepare for the kick off to the campaign with the 2010 Puppy Bowl. Between the U.S. and Canada, 9 million people will see our campaign launch…that’s 9 million potential clients that your practice needs to be ready for. And being ready includes a solid understanding of your accreditation and a consistent message throughout your staff about what it means to your practice, to your clients and to your patients.

To get you off and running on this mission, the Association is sponsoring a contest. The practice that has made the best use of the contents in their Accreditation Awareness Campaign kits by January 1, 2010 will receive a $500 gift card from Lands End to put toward the purchase of new practice apparel that you can brand with your logo and AAHA's! In other words, the race is on to brand your practice as AAHA, with new threads waiting for you at the finish line! Post pictures of your finished submissions to the blog anytime between now and the deadline by adding a document to your “BUZZ”. Photos will be judged and a winner chosen before February 1, 2010.

AAHA on Animal Planet
As part of the $1 million Accreditation Awareness Campaign, AAHA will sponsor the official veterinarian at the 2010 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl. The Puppy Bowl is a fun event for kids and adults that need a break from the football action during the 2010 Super Bowl and will give AAHA additional opportunities for promoting accreditation. The event will air six times in the United States and twice in Canada for a total of 9 million viewers. Now you’ll have more to watch than football on February 7, 2010!

In addition to the major sponsorship, 15-second advertisements and 30-second educational commercials will air on Animal Planet as well. These spots will appear during pet- and wildlife-related programming, airing approximately 350 times and generating more than 110.6 million impressions. Animal Planet Canada will feature the commercials more than 2,700 times generating more than 21.5 million impressions.

They will air during the day, weekends and primetime/late night television on a variety of highly rated shows such as Animal Cops, It’s Me or the Dog, Meerkat Manor, Animal Planet Safari and the AKC National Championship. The 30-second educational commercials will focus on important pet health issues, to include topics like wellness exams, year-round parasite control, nutrition and pain management.

·         The basics of branding

·         Communicating the value of your accreditation

·         Implementation tactics and how to use your Accreditation Awareness kits

·         Gaining staff-buy in and communicating with a consistent message

·         Client interaction

·         Best practices