A Sustainable Marketing Plan to

Reduce the Damage That Stray

and Wandering Domestic Pets Do.

Natasha Fulton
Word Count: 2757
Executive Summary

A lack of desexing and poor pet ownership have major consequences for the economy,

environment and society. This sustainable marketing campaign plan starts with a

situation analysis alongside a pestle opportunities and threats to ascertain and show

just how big of a problem low desexing rates and poor pet ownership is.

From here an issue statement;

To reduce the damage that stray and wandering domestic cats and dogs do to native

wildlife in Queensland, Australia in partnership with local councils, vets, the RSPCA,

and the National Desexing Network to support responsible pet ownership via the

promotion of desexing and pet containment through a Pet Buddy program and app.

Is followed by three past initiatives to look at what has and has not worked in the past.

Target marketing profiling has found low income earners have the lowest rates of

desexing and the greatest potential for large campaign impact. Therefore low income

earners are the target market for this plan.

Four sustainability objectives have been chosen to create awareness among the target

audience of discounted desexing and responsible pet ownership via a program and app,

so the target audiences desexing rates increase closer to the national average,
reducing the number of strays and unwanted pets to decrease the cost to the

environment, society and the economy.

Next the sustainability strategy introduces the product, price, supply chain and

promotion that will be used to ensure the target audience receive maximum reach and

take up the new desired behaviour. Finally, an evaluation plan will show how success is

measured and provide contingency plans if success is not being reached.

This sustainable marketing campaign plan shows the importance of using the correct

channels and the right promotion to reach the target audience to ensure the new

desired behaviour towards sustainability is taken up and acted upon.

Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 1

Situation Analysis ............................................................................................................ 4

Issue / Problem Statement .............................................................................................. 9

Past Initiatives ................................................................................................................. 9

Target Market Profile ..................................................................................................... 14

Sustainability Objectives ............................................................................................... 19

Positioning Statement ................................................................................................... 21

Sustainability Strategy ................................................................................................... 21

Product / Service ........................................................................................................ 21

Price ........................................................................................................................... 23

Supply chain / Distribution .......................................................................................... 25

Tagline / Slogan ......................................................................................................... 26

Promotion ................................................................................................................... 27

Monitoring Evaluation Plan............................................................................................ 28

Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 30

Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................. 30

Appendix 2 ................................................................................................................. 31

Appendix 3 ................................................................................................................. 32

References .................................................................................................................... 34
Situation Analysis

Poor pet ownership has large long lasting implications for the environment and society.

The most common domestic carnivores in the world are dogs and cats (Hughes &

Macdonald, 2013). While cats and dogs play an important role in society and are linked

to the economic and political values of humans, when they are poorly cared for they

have been shown to have a wide range of societal issues. Some of these are dog bites,

livestock deaths, the spread of disease to humans (Hughes & Macdonald, 2013), the

damage of neighbors gardens, spraying urine and fighting (Toukhsati, Young, Bennett ,

& Coleman, 2012). They have also been shown to cause road accidents and even

neighborhood disputes (Rohlf, Bennett, Toukhsati, & Coleman, 2010).

Perhaps more concerning however, is the damage and negative impact to wildlife

populations through predation and disease (Hughes & Macdonald, 2013). Furthermore,

stray or wandering cats and dogs create competition with native wildlife for food, they

harass native wildlife, with dogs also causing hybridization problems. Domestic dogs

have been recognized as contributing to the extinction of 11 species in the world.

Additionally, they are a known threat to 188 endangered species in the world, with 21 of

these species found in Australia (Doherty, et al., 2017). It is estimated these problems

will only grow in worsening scale as the human population increases.

During 2015-2016 RSPCA Queensland received 14,184 dogs, only 4703 were

reclaimed by their owners. This was a 5.11% increase on the previous year (RSPCA,
2016). Of all these dog admissions, only 18% of adults were desexed and only 2% of

puppies were desexed (Hemy, Rand, Morton, & Paterson, 2017), compared with the

national average of 78%of owned dogs being desexed ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty

Ltd, 2016).

During the same time RSPCA Queensland received 14,031 cats, of which only 644

were reclaimed by their owners. This was an 18.06% increase on the previous year

(RSPCA, 2016). Only 3% of all kitten admissions were desexed. While 34% of owner

surrendered adults cats were desexed only 16% of strays were desexed (Alberthsen, et

al., 2013). The national average is 89% of owned cats are desexed ( Animal Medicines

Australia Pty Ltd, 2016).

These numbers show an increasing trend in dumped cats and dogs, most of which have

not been desexed and are found as strays or wandering (RSPCA, 2016). It has been

estimated that two strays and their offspring have the potential to become 67,000

dogs/cats within 6 years if not desexed and contained (National Desexing Network,

2009).

On average 23 dogs and cats die each year every hour in Australian pounds and

shelters (National Desexing Network, 2009). The costs to manage these cats and dogs,

including trapping, housing, feeding, vet care, desexing, rehoming and for those less

fortunate, euthanasia reaches $263 million each year (Chua, Rand, & Morton, 2017).
This can be broken down to roughly $83 million spent each year by local government

and $180 spent each year by animal welfare agencies, whom rely solely on donations

(Alberthsen, et al., 2013).

Finally, those who must care for, and in many cases euthanize the overpopulated cats

and dogs report high levels of stress, guilt and moral conflict. Many of these people

have high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and drug use to help their feeling

towards killing healthy animals (Hemy, et al., 2017).

 Opportunities
Political / Legal Economical
* Legislation has large positive effects on responsible pet * Owners unable to afford care or treatment of their cat or
ownership (Rohlf, et al., 2010). dog account for 16% of all surrenders to the RSPCA
* There is strong support for changing the law to require (Hemy, et al., 2017)
breeding permits and for desexing laws (Gladstone Council, * My research found very few people know about cheap
n.d.). desexing offers (Fulton, 2017).
* Current laws – All dogs must be registered (Queensland
Government, 2016).
* New laws are a step in the right direction – All puppies sold in
Queensland must have a supply number (Animal Welfare
League Queensland, 2017).
* All dogs and cats in Queensland must be microchipped
(Queensland Government, 2016).

Social / Cultural Natural Environment

* Many people see desexing as important for dogs (Rohlf, et al., * 87% of non-cat owners support cat full time cat
2010). containment to protect wildlife (Toukhsati, et al., 2012).
* Dogs and humans have a close relationship and pets are
often considered part of the family (Hughes & Macdonald,
2013).
* Education on responsible pet ownership
 Threats
Political / Legal
* Companion animals are considered personal property, they
are seen as market commodities to be bought and sold. This
creates an easy come, easy go culture (Cao, 2015).
* No desexing laws
* Other than microchipping there are no other state laws
regarding cats (Queensland Government, 2016).
* Laws change between local governments making it harder for
pet owners to know what the laws is if they move a lot
Social / Cultural
* Judging by the numbers of pets left in shelters, there are gaps
in the understanding of responsible pet ownership ( Animal
Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016).
* Some people feel desexing is unnecessary, unnatural or they
do not agree with the practice
* Majority of cat owners only agree to cat containment at night
(Rohlf, et al., 2010).
* Many cat owners are oblivious to wandering cats (Toukhsati,
et al., 2012).
Economical
* Many people feel and agree desexing is too expensive
(Rohlf, et al., 2010; Fulton, 2017).
* Low socio-economic areas struggle to afford desexing
(Hemy, et al., 2017).
* Many rental properties don’t allow pets
* There are costs to subsidize desexing statewide
* Times are tough, money is tight
Natural Environment
* Even though wildlife are present at all hours of the day
and night, most cat owners only believe in night time
containment
* Only 48% of cat owners support full-time cat containment
to protect wildlife (Toukhsati, et al., 2012).
Issue / Problem Statement

To reduce the damage that stray and wandering domestic cats and dogs do to native wildlife in Queensland, Australia in

partnership with local councils, vets, the RSPCA, and the National Desexing Network to support responsible pet

ownership via the promotion of desexing and pet containment through a Pet Buddy program and app.

Past Initiatives

RSPCA Queensland – Operation Wanted

Year / Country 2014-2016 Queensland, Australia

Sustainability To reduce backyard and indiscriminate breeding. RSPCA state there is not enough homes. The vast
Issue majority of these unwanted pets are not desexed, which continues the cycle. Finally, these animals
dramatically impact the environment and the only way to reduce this is to have all pets except registered
breeders, desexed (RPSCA Queensland, n.d.). Ultimately the RSPCA want to reduce euthanasia rates
from uncontrolled backyard breeding and overpopulation.
Initiated by The RSPCA, however, the campaign would not be feasible without participating vets and local councils
(Cairns Government, 2015).
Focus / Appeal The campaign used an attitude focus (Elliott, et al., 2014). There are three components to an attitude
these are:
 1. Cognitive – A person’s knowledge of the issue.
2. Affective – A persons feelings towards the issue.
3. Behavioral – A person’s actions or intentions towards the issue.
The campaign satisfied the cognitive component by providing knowledge on how many unwanted animals
there are and how this is directly related to desexing. The campaigns affective component was satisfied by
giving the pets names and sad back stories of being unloved and unwanted (YouTube, 2015). Finally the
campaign provides all the information for action towards desexing, satisfying the behaviour component.

Strategy Approach Price – 20% off at participating vets

Product – Cheaper desexing for 3 months
Place – 180 participating vets throughout Queensland
Promotion – The campaign ran adverts on T.V. and their YouTube channel. They have an
operationwanted.com.au website that provides information and where to find participating vets. RSPCA
used their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to promote the 20% off desexing at participating vets,
these posts used a rationale appeal (Martin & Schouten, 2014) to provide information on the benefits of
desexing and the 20% off.

Much of the promotion required vets, rescue organisations and RSPCA’s social media friends to share and
link the promotion. Furthermore as Operation Wanted shares RSPCA’s social media, the message can get
lost among all the other messages (Elliott, et al., 2014).

Outcomes In the first year (2014) the campaign had 6000 dogs desexed as a result of the campaign. In both 2015 and
2016, twenty thousand animals were desexed as a result of the campaign (Ipswich.qld.gov.au., 2016).
Most participating vets saw an 80% increase of desexing during the campaign. Therefore the campaign
could be deemed, and it was deemed, as complete success (RPSCA Queensland, n.d.).
 Victorian Government – Promoting Responsible Pet Ownership
Year / Country 2015 Victoria, Australia

Sustainability Responsible pet ownership. The campaign aims were to promote animal welfare, responsible pet
ownership of dogs and cats and protection of the environment (Lauber & Helman, 2015).
Issue

Initiated by Victoria’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and resources, via the Domestic Animals
unit and Agriculture Victoria.
Focus / Appeal The campaign conducted a survey and found many Victorians did not know what responsible pet
ownership is. From this it was concluded that a knowledge focus was the key to increasing responsible pet
ownership and campaign success (Lauber & Helman, 2015). The education focus allowed the campaign to
overcome the number one barrier (little knowledge and awareness) to more sustainable behaviour.

Strategy Approach Price – Free for online education or $15 for a hard copy of the educational material. Time to complete the
learning and exam (Victoria State Government, 2017).
Product – A responsible pet ownership course.
Place – Online via a website, www.vic.gov.au/pets
Promotion – The campaign had three phases, phase one provided the responsible dog ownership course,
cats were added later, plus an informational website. The first phase also consisted of print and online
adverts.

Phase two rolled out the promotional print material into vet clinics, phase three extended this into pet shops
and included more animals (Lauber & Helman, 2015). Each piece of promotional material focused on
education. This can most closely linked to a rational appeal (Martin & Schouten, 2014), where the
 education provided the overall value of being a responsible pet owner and the knowledge that this will
make your pet happier, healthier and cost less.

Outcomes While there is little information on the outcomes of this promotion, there are a few areas that could be
looked at to determine success or failure. Firstly, during the campaign there was a 60% increase of web
traffic to the www.vic.gov.au/pets website (Lauber & Helman, 2015).

Furthermore, during 2015-2016, Victoria recorded a 9.52% decrease in dogs received at RSPCA Victoria
and a 1.85% decrease in cat admissions. Adding to this there were 3.33% less wildlife admitted to RSPCA
Victoria (RSPCA, 2016). It could be summarized that the responsible pet ownership message is beginning
to get through, leading to less wandering animals who, because there are fewer of them, are doing less
damage to native wildlife. Therefore, this campaign could be deemed a small success.

National Desexing Network (NDN) – National Desexing Month

Year / Country 2013 – current Promotion is run yearly and originally started in 2004, Australia

Sustainability Issue To reduce companion animal overpopulation and to get euthanasia rates to zero in healthy
and treatable dogs and cats.
Initiated by National Desexing Network, started by Animal welfare league Queensland. Again this
campaign relies on vets offering cheaper desexing.

Focus / Appeal The campaign each year uses a behaviour focus. The aim of the campaign is to change a not-
desexing behaviour into a desexing behaviour (Lee & Kotler, 2015). Each of their taglines
over the years have finished with telling the consumer exactly what behaviour the campaign
wants them to do (desex your pet). To see the taglines of the last 6 years refer to appendix 1
 Strategy Approach Price – Varies depending on vet, state, animal, and sex of animal.
Produce – Discounted desexing
Place – At over 200 participating vets throughout Australia
Promotion – Posters provided to vets, local councils, animal rescue groups and other media.
There is a comprehensive website that provides information lists and details of participating
vets. Finally there is a Facebook page that regularly links the promotion during the month long
campaign (National Desexing Network, 2009).

Outcomes There is very little information on the success of National desexing month, However since its
beginning in 2004, there have been over 200,000 cats and dogs of low income earners
desexed. During 2016, 202 vets desexed roughly 10,000 cats and dogs during the month long
campaign. This is also a successful campaign (National Desexing Network, 2009).

All past initiatives have been successful. Desexing rates are increasing and in the case of responsible pet ownership, cat

and dog admissions to the RSPCA Victoria are decreasing. However promotional material is mainly delivered through

vets, pet stores and social media. This means the target audience must visit these places to take up the new behaviour.

While the statistics show the message, regardless of the promotional channel, is getting through to the majority of pet

owners, the following target market profiling will show there is one group still missing the message, (who account for 65%

of undesexed pets being admitted to shelters (National Desexing Network, 2015)), because they don’t access the places

the message is being sent from.

Target Market Profile

The target audience are low income earners who own an undesexed cat and/or dog and

cite cost as the only barrier to desexing.

This target audience has been chosen as they have the highest rates of undesexed

pets (65%) (National Desexing Network, 2015), and will therefore provide the greatest

impact. The target audience live in low socio-economic areas. While some drive, the

majority use public transport to do every day things such as take their children to

school, do the grocery shopping at local shopping centers, visit community centers and

parks or to visit family and friends (Flanagan & Flanagan, 2011). The target audience

purchase cheap or ‘on sale’ pet food from supermarkets and don’t go to pet stores or

vets as these are too expensive ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016).

The target audience are likely to be single or in a defacto relationship with young

children ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016). They are most likely unemployed

and on centerlink benefits. They are likely to be under-educated, with the highest

education level attained being year 12. Research has found the target audiences low

income and poor education have a direct relationship with undesexed pets, unwanted

litters and high rates of surrendered pets to shelters and the RSPCA (Hemy, et al.,

2017).
The target audience are ready to take action, they believe desexing reduces wandering,

unwanted litters and is better for long term health. They also agree pet containment is

important as it keeps their pet safe, stops them being a nuisance to the community and

prevents harm to wildlife (Hughes & Macdonald, 2013). The target audience are already

stretching their budgets to the limit and therefore cost is their only barrier to desexing

and proper pet care (Hemy, et al., 2017). Adding to this, the majority of the target

audience do not know of past initiatives as they cannot afford to shop at or visit the

places (vets, pet stores) that the past campaigns have been communicated through

(Fulton, 2017).

The target audience’s lower education also leads to lower understanding of what

responsible pet ownership is. Their pets are more likely to wander (most likely due to

not being desexed), less likely to be microchipped, or have details kept up to date, less

likely to be vaccinated, wormed or registered with local councils (Hemy, et al., 2017).

This group state they love their pet and consider them part of the family, however, they

would sell, give away or surrender their pet if they cannot afford it. This shows a

campaign that incorporates responsible pet ownership with desexing, shown in places

the target audience are most likely to visit, would be of most success.
 Segment 1 – Low Income
Geographic Rural areas, suburban areas, low socio-economic areas.
Income $0 - $39,999, more likely to be on centerlink benefits.
Average age 35 and under
Family situation Single or Defacto with children under 13 years old
Job Most likely to be unemployed
Education Under-educated, Highest achieved level of year 12.
Psychographics / Cite cost as the barrier to desexing
Behaviours Own a Staffordshire bull terrier, a mixed breed dog or mixed breed cat
Keeps pet outside
Only take pet to vets if it is urgent. If it costs too much, pet is usually
surrendered or euthanized.
Is a renter, uses share accommodation or lives in public housing
Pet has wandered before
Pet was acquired for free
Pet is not microchipped, or details have not been kept up-to-date
Pet is not immunized or wormed
Purchases pet food from the local supermarket
Only has mobile smartphone access to social media and the internet
Top 3 social media = Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat
Uses public transport
Likely to give pet up if they cannot afford it.
65% of undesexed pets admitted to shelters are of this group, with their
reason being they simply cannot afford to desex.
References used ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)
(Flanagan & Flanagan, 2011)
(Fulton, 2017)
(Hemy, Rand, Morton, & Paterson, 2017)
(Sensis, 2016)
 Segment 2 – Middle Income
Geographic Suburban areas, urban areas, rural areas, mid socio-economic areas
Income $40,000 - $99,999
Average age 30+
Family situation Married with children of any age.
Job Working part-time or full-time
Education Trade certificate, vocational certificate, some are university educated
Psychographics / Desexing rates are average, around 75%
Behaviours Dog breed ownership varies, usually pure breeds or designer breeds
Cat likely to be mixed breed
Takes pet to vet once per year for vaccinations and routine check up
Rents or is close to owning a home, some are home owners
Pets are kept both inside and outside
Average cost paid to acquire a cat; $274
Average cost to acquire a dog; $200 - $500
High micro-chipping rates, keeps details updated
Purchases pet food and products from supermarkets or pet stores
Has access to a mobile smart phone, computer, laptop
Top 3 social media sites; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram.
Small sections of this segment don’t desex for reasons such as being a
registered breeder, their dog/cat is a show animal, or they simply don’t
agree with the practice.
Will keep their pet to death
References used ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)
(Flanagan & Flanagan, 2011)
(Fulton, 2017)
(Hemy, Rand, Morton, & Paterson, 2017)
(Sensis, 2016)
 Segment 3 – High Income
Geographic Urban and suburban areas, high socio-economic areas
Income $100,000+
Average age 45+
Family situation Married, divorced or widowed with either no children or older 13+
children.
Job Full-time work, in a professional career
Education University educated
Psychographics / Desexing rates are high, around 87%
Behaviours Owns a pure breed dog and/or cat. Dog is usually a smaller breed
Regularly takes pet to vet, cost is no barrier.
Owns their own home
Pets more likely to be kept in doors
Paid, on average, more than $500 for a cat
Paid, on average, more than $500 for a dog
Microchipping rates are high, and records are kept up-to-date
Often purchases extras for their pet such as; clothes, toys and
supplements
Has access to laptop, desktop computer, mobile smart phone
Top 3 social media; Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. High user of
LinkedIn
Purchases pet products and food from pet stores and vets.
Dog is desexed often because this group take their pets places (café’s
friends and families houses), and on holiday with them.
Will keep pet till death
References used ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)
(Flanagan & Flanagan, 2011)
(Fulton, 2017)
(Hemy, Rand, Morton, & Paterson, 2017)
(Sensis, 2016)
Sustainability Objectives

Objective 1 To increase the target audiences awareness of the cheap desexing and
responsible pet ownership program ‘Pet Buddy’ in Queensland by 70%
within 12 months of launching the campaign

Objective 2 To have a 40% Pet Buddy app monthly retention rate for the duration of
the 12 month campaign

Objective 3 To reduce the number of stray and wandering cats and dogs admitted to
the RSPCA QLD within 12 months of campaign start by 15%.

Objective 4 To increase the number of desexed dogs and cats among the target
audience by 40% within 12 months of campaign start.

Objective 1 has been chosen as in the past a lack of awareness among this target

audience of the costs to be saved in prior desexing programs has been low and a

barrier to overcome (Fulton, 2017). As the target audience are extremely price sensitive,

increasing their awareness of the discounted Pet Buddy program will greatly increase

their likelihood to desex their pet.

Objective 2 has been chosen as the app is an important and integrated aspect of the

campaign. The app has been designed to ensure ongoing responsible pet ownership.

The apps retention rate looks at whether those who downloaded the Pet Buddy app,

continue to use it. This looks at how many customers are retained and keep coming

back, creating a look at a form of customer loyalty, because if the customers are

regularly returning to the app they are showing loyalty to the sustainability issue of

desexing and responsible pet ownership (Kearl, 2016).

Objective three has been chosen as this will greatly help reduce the impact the issue is

currently having. Appendix 2 shows the cost to a shelter to adopt each cat or dog that is

surrendered or admitted as a stray. Reducing these numbers by just 15% has the

potential to save between two and four million dollars per week (Animal Welfare

League, 2017). Furthermore reducing the number of stray and wandering pets will

greatly reduce the impact these animals have on the environment.

Objective four has been chosen because desexed pets are less likely to wander and

they stop the cycle of unwanted litters, reducing the number of stray and unwanted pets.

Furthermore the target audience have the lowest rates of desexing in Queensland –

18%. Studies have found that providing cheap or free desexing in low socio-economic

areas greatly impacts desexing rates, bringing them in line with the national average, as

long as the consumer knows of the programs existence (Hemy, et al., 2017).

Together objective 3 and 4 are to ensure the message is getting through and the target

audience are taking up the new desired behaviour. The four objectives together have

been chosen to create awareness among the target audience of the new discounted

desexing and responsible pet ownership program and app, so the target audiences

desexing rates increase closer to the national average, reducing the number of strays

and unwanted pets to decrease the cost to the environment, society and the economy.
Positioning Statement

We want low income earning dog and cat owners to see desexing and responsible pet

ownership as the easy to access, affordable and healthy option for their pet.

Easy to access, healthy for pet

Where we
want to be
Current
position
Expensive Affordable

Hard to access, unhealthy for pet

Sustainability Strategy

Product / Service

The main service of the campaign is dog and cat desexing. However there needs to be

a few added benefits and steps to ensure the target audience reach the desexing

behaviour.
Firstly once a month there will be a responsible dog ownership and responsible cat

ownership classes called Pet Buddy classes. These classes will discuss desexing, pet

containment, food, vaccinations, worming and other information. The classes will only

be provided to low income earners who are in possession of a health care card or

pension card. The classes will be run by a council employee, a vet, vet nurse and a dog

trainer or other pet professional.

In addition to the class there will be a responsible pet ownership app called Pet Buddy.

The app will provide all class attendees the information they just learnt in the class for

reference, plus animal related discounts such as food discounts, free or discounted vet

checks, 10% off worming products and more. The user will also be able to enter their

pets details and the app will help them keep up to date with worming and vaccinations.

Finally, the app will have links for items such as microchipping databases so the user

can quickly and easily update their microchip details.

By creating an app, there will be less paper waste from pamphlets that are usually

handed out in adult learning classes. The app will also help remind the target audience

to worm and vaccinate their pets and discounts can be targeted towards these actions

which will help reduce disease. Since 98% of the target audience own a smartphone

(Sensis, 2016), an app is a great place to reach and remind them of responsible pet

ownership and desexing and to ensure its happening.

Once the class has been completed and the attendee has signed up to the app with an

attendee number, they will be given their desexing vouchers, immunization vouchers,

worming vouchers and any other vouchers they are entitled to. Each attendee will also

be required to book in a time and date to have their pet desexed, vaccinated, wormed

and health checked. Once their pet has been desexed they will receive a completion

number to enter into the app, this will then ‘unlock’ the further discounts.

Price

Consumer

It will cost $80 for cat owners and $100 for dog owners to attend the responsible pet

ownership class. This is cheaper than current promotions and covers more than current

promotions. This price covers the Pet Buddy class, Pet Buddy app, desexing,

vaccinations, worming, microchipping and one year of local dog council registration. The

target audience are extremely price sensitive and therefore need to know each cent

they spend is being stretched as far as possible, by providing a full comprehensive

responsible pet ownership program, the target audience will be more likely to purchase

as their price worries are being met. The pricing strategy being used is tiered pricing

(Martin & Schouten, 2014), this ensures that even those on the lowest incomes can

responsibly care for their pets, reducing the cost to the environment, society and the

economy. There is also a 3-4 hour time cost to partake in the Pet Buddy class.
Service provider

Current costs are high. On average it costs $1056 per dog per week it is in care and

$756 per cat per week it is in care (Animal Welfare League, 2017). When a stray or

wandering animal is found, there are costs to bring it to the pound, shelter or vet. Some

of the dogs and cats that end up in shelters and pounds have injuries or other health or

behavioral issues that need to be fixed prior to re-homing. There are also added

psychological costs to the people who care for these unwanted animals. Finally while

these animals are outside of their homes, they cause a large environmental cost.

To enact this campaign is purely monetary, there are costs associated with providing

discounted desexing and health care, costs for the vets, vet nurses, council workers and

dog trainers who provide time to run the class. There will be costs to create the app,

and costs to run the class, however the costs to run the Pet Buddy program are minimal

when compared to the above current costs.

Supply chain / Distribution

RSPCA and the National

Desexing Network

Various local
councils

Vet, Vet-
Promotional Animal Pick
App Designer Various Vets nurse, dog
Material up Service
trainer

The campaign begins with the RSPCA and the National Desexing Network. They must

receive funding from various local councils where the low cost program will be

implemented. Once funding has been achieved, an app designer must be contracted to

make the app. There must also be the various vets, vet nurses, and animal specialists

sought to provide their time to teach the class. Various vet practices will need to be

found to conduct the medical side of the campaign.

There will be an animal vet pick up and drop off service. This solves two issues; one is

that many low income earners use public transport that their pet cannot use, therefore,

even if they attend the class, without a pickup service they would be unlikely to get their

pet to the vet for desexing. Secondly, it reduces the fumes and vehicle materials that

would be used if each pet were to be driven to the vets. Finally promotional material

would be sought from sustainably responsible businesses to lessen the cost printing

posters and billboards will create.

This campaign is a form of cradle- to- cradle value chain (Martin & Schouten, 2014).

Once the desexing, immunization worming and learning of responsible pet ownership

has taken place, waste will begin to decrease, hopefully one day being eliminated. This

is because desexed pets are less likely to wander, their behaviour is often far better,

leading to less surrenders and the ongoing savings make the pets more affordable,

again leading to less surrenders. Finally, desexed and immunized pets are less likely to

damage and kill wildlife, spread disease, interbreed and finally, they stop adding to the

overpopulation problem, which reduces and eventually stops waste.

Tagline / Slogan

Pet Buddy
Desexing at Mates Rates

Pet Buddy
Immunizations at Mates Rates

This tagline has been chosen as it’s a play on a dog being a man’s best friend.

Furthermore, research shows the number 1 reason people purchase a pet is for

companionship, to be their buddy ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016). Mates

rates represents a discount, or a far better deal, which will attract this extremely price

sensitive target audience.

Promotion

Firstly, there will be a strong campaign on social media channels Facebook, Instagram

and Snapchat. These have been chosen as they are the top 3 social media sites used

by this target audience. There will be a pet buddy social media account made for each

platform, and on Facebook, ad space will be purchased. The social media channels will

link to participating vets. They will also regularly post the health benefits of desexing

both of the pet and the environment. They will remind followers when and where the

next class is being held. There will be a Snapchat dog ears filter with a desexed tattoo

on the ear. Finally the largest part of the promotion will be posts showing followers the

true savings that can be had by completing the Pet Buddy program.

As the target audience are high users of public transport, there will be transit billboards

used. These will be on buses taxis and trains. They will also be at bus stops, taxi ranks

and train stations. There will be smaller billboards in local shopping centers, at

centerlink offices and job agencies. There will also be small posters placed at daycares,

primary schools and on community notice boards. These are all places the target

audience frequently visit. Finally the promotional material will only be in low socio-

economic areas where the target audience live to ensure they are correctly reached.

For examples of billboards, please refer to appendix 3

It needs to be noted, that as the campaign is being run by two not-for-profit

organisations relying heavily on local council funding and supporter donations, more

expensive promotions may be difficult.

Monitoring Evaluation Plan

OBJECTIVE 1 To increase the target audiences awareness of the cheap desexing and
responsible pet ownership program ‘Pet Buddy’ in Queensland by 70% within 12 months of
launching the campaign
Metric Target audience awareness
Collection Method Awareness surveys of the target audience
Collection Time 5 months into the campaign
12 months into campaign at completion
How to Measure The percentage of the target audience that can identify and recall the
Pet Buddy program in Queensland.
Desired Outcome To achieve 70% awareness among the target audience
Contingency Plan If awareness is low at 5 months, the promotional strategies will need to
be reworked to gain more reach among the target audience.

OBJECTIVE 2 To have a 40% Pet Buddy app monthly retention rate for the duration of the
12 month campaign
Metric App retention rate / customer loyalty
Collection Method Using app analytics programs to measure return users
Collection Time Monthly, starting at the end of month 1
How to Measure Number of return users in a month / number of first time users
e.g. During month 1, there were 500 new users of the app,
During month 2, 450 of these users came back,
During month 3, 390 of these users came back.
Therefore
Month 2 retention rate = 450 ÷ 500 = 0.9 or 90% monthly retention rate
Month 3 retention rate = 390 ÷ 500 = 0.78 or 78% monthly retention
rate
Desired Outcome To have 40% of Pet Buddy users regularly using the Pet Buddy app at
least once per month
Contingency Plan If retention rates fall, surveys should be conducted to see why
customers do not return to the app, for example, maybe the user
interface is unappealing to the target audience.

OBJECTIVE 3 To reduce the number of stray and wandering cats and dogs admitted to the
RSPCA QLD within 12 months of campaign start by 15%.
Metric Sustainability issue outcomes
Collection Method Via admissions data base and annual statistics
Collection Time 6 months and 12 months after campaign start.
How to Measure At 6 months and 12 months compare admissions with the previous
year’s equal time frame.
Desired Outcome To have 15% fewer admission of cats and dogs to the RSPCA
Queensland
Contingency Plan Make over promotional strategies, undertake a survey to see why pets
are still being admitted to the RSPCA to search for a missing barrier to
desired behaviour to create leverage in reworked promotional
strategies

OBJECTIVE 4 To increase the number of desexed dogs and cats among the target audience
by 40% within 12 months of campaign start.
Metric Sustainability issue outcomes
Collection Method Surveys and monthly / annual statistical data
Collection Time Every three months after campaign start
How to Measure Percentage of respondents of a survey that asks the target audience if
their dog is desexed and if so, when, why? Monthly and annual
statistical data can be sourced, though this could be difficult.
Desired Outcome To increase the desexing of dogs and cats among the target audience
by 40%
Contingency Plan If three monthly desexing rates are low, surveys must be conducted to
find barriers and reasons as to why the desexing has not taken place
so the campaign can overcome these problems.
Appendix

Appendix 1
Year Tagline / Slogan Reference
2012 You can’t teach pets about safe sex. Help (Anthony, 2012)
control overpopulation. Desex your Pet.
2013 Don’t litter Australia. Desex your pet. (Amy, 2013)
2014 You can’t trust him not to sleep around. (Animal Welfare League Australia,
Don’t let your cat breed behind your back. n.d.)
Desex you pet.

You’re not the only one he’s been sleeping

with. Don’t let your dog breed behind your
back. Desex your pet.
2015 Snip Snip Hooray – Desex your pet. Don’t (National Desexing Network, Media
Delay! Release - July is National
Desexing Month, 2015)
2016 Don’t like surprises? Desex your pet. (Animal Welfare League Qld, 2016)
2017 Let’s talk about desexing. July is national (National Desexing Network,
desexing month. Save lives. Desex your National Desexing Month
pet. Campaign Poster, 2017)
Appendix 2
The Cost of Adoption
Dog Shelter care (per week) $245
Desexing $365
Micro-chip $40
Flea treatment $20
Vet check $66
Vaccinations $75
Environmental enrichment (per week) $245

Total $1056

Cat Shelter care (per week) $245

Desexing $150
Worming $20
Micro-chip $40
Flea treatment $20
Vaccinations $75
Vet check $66
Environmental enrichment (per week) $140

Total $756
Appendix 3

Figure 1 Pet Buddy Logo

Figure 2 Bus Billboard idea

Figure 3 Taxi Billboard idea
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