"Most people know veterinarians treat pets and easily surmise they treat zoo and farm animals," says AVMA marketing director Jim Flanigan. "The leap comes when they understand that they themselves are part of that animal kingdom!"
The simple idea that veterinarians protect the health of the entire animal kingdom—including human beings—has come to life in the form of a hand-painted composite that is previewing this week in New Orleans. The artwork features the following wording: Aardvarks to Zebras – And every Tom, Rick, and Mary in between!
The new AVMA marketing campaign was inspired by the book "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die," by brothers Chip and Dan Heath. The book presents principles—from word twists to elements of surprise—to capture the art of making ideas unforgettable.
The versatile artwork makes its first appearance to the veterinary profession here at the AVMA Annual Convention, appearing as a full-size pictorial at the AVMA Member Services Booth in the convention center. On Saturday, the image also ran as a paid ad in the National Journal, which is the first of several key publications in which the ad will appear. This weekend, the campaign's Web microsite is going live at www.aardvarks2zebras.com, where it will reach millions. Broadcast messages are in the works.
The posters and ads will invite the public to visit the Web site, where they will encounter a fresh description of veterinarians' roles and the one-health concept. Web-site visitors will even learn how a veterinarian must learn about all animal species in the same four years it takes to become a physician.
Veterinarians can pick up an 18 X 24-inch poster to display in their clinic at the Member Services Booth as the first step in engaging their clientele. Squishy toys and luggage tags also await. Practice owners who have a Web site will be encouraged to upload a widget that is available to lead their clients to the A-to-Z site.
"The idea is to leverage veterinarians' Web sites to help explain what all veterinarians do," Flanigan said.
This very visual, ongoing campaign is capitalizing on free public service time. The cost of paid advertising is covered in the budget of the Communications Division.
