Zoetis, a global animal-health company, needed a marketing solution.

The Parsippany, NJ-based corporation, formerly part of Pfizer, wanted a way to promote its prescription medicines at veterinary clinics across the U.S. So, in 2018, the company approached Stran & Co. (asi/337725) for the project. Together, Zoetis and the Quincy, MA-based distributor developed a two-pronged promotion for what became the Zoetis Petcare Rewards program: incentivize pet owners to purchase Zoetis medicines by allowing them to accrue points that could be redeemed for future products and services at participating clinics, while incentivizing and thanking veterinarians with branded merchandise for prescribing their products.

Pet owners who participate in the Zoetis Petcare Rewards program receive a card to use for products and services at veterinary clinics in Zoetis’ network.

Once pet owners earn at least 100 points – the equivalent of buying $10 worth of Zoetis products – they can apply to receive reloadable cards for use at clinics, with points going toward medicine and services. For every 10 points accrued, the owners receive $1 in rewards points for future visits.

“With animal medicine, we don’t have to adhere to the same PhRMA Code like we do with human healthcare,” says Andy Shape, CEO of Stran & Co, referring to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America code on marketing to healthcare professionals.

“Zoetis came to us because of our flexibility to manage the program. That’s the value we add. There are so many moving parts – customer service, compliance, converting points to dollars, card fulfillment, validating receipts and more. There are lots of different people involved,” Shape adds.

Branded items in the collection include mugs, tumblers, tote bags and dog bandannas.

Nearly three-quarters of the funds issued via the cards has been spent, says Shape, making it more effective than a gift card. “When you surprise and delight people with gift cards, they often forget about them,” says Shape. “With these rewards cards, it takes time and energy – they have to save receipts, wait for the card and use it.”

In 2018, there was less than a million dollars’ worth of funds in the program. Now, it’s grown to more than $22 million, and Shape says it’s on track to surpass $30 million by the end of this year. There are nearly 22,600 participating clinics across the country and more than a million pet owners participating, with more than 750,000 cards issued. From June 2021 to June 2022, participating offices completed more than 485,860 transactions using the service-redemption cards.

Models for veterinarian offices are branded with the Zoetis logo and product brands.

Stran also created a collection of Zoetis branded products to incentivize and reward participating veterinarians – everything from office models, mugs, tumblers, tote bags, dog bandannas and treats to higher-end items like apparel, luggage, YETI coolers, Omaha Steak gift sets, mini fridges and Keurig coffee makers.

“Maybe there are franchised clinics and Zoetis wants to promote to them by sending all of them gifts,” says Shape. “Or there’s a grand opening and they want to make an impression, or an office is a new participant in their Rewards program. Or there’s an office that’s been in business for 10 years and they want to congratulate them. It’s less methodical than the consumer side, where they redeem points. It’s really up to Zoetis as far as how they want to reward the veterinarians.”

Zoetis often rewards participating veterinarians with premium items, like coolers and mini fridges.

Zoetis had worked on a similar program in 2016, but two years later, it decided to work with Stran to scale the program so that its reach would extend into all 50 states.

“It’s working,” says Shape. “People who sign up are grateful for the program. It provides health education to owners, and it builds loyalty with the provider. Zoetis is creating loyal customers among owners and veterinarians as well, so it’s 360 degrees. Create loyalty and you can change behavior.”

The pet market is a perennially popular one for promo sales. In recent months, as “pandemic puppy” owners return to the office, pet service providers such as sitters, daycares, training schools, insurance agencies and shelters (due to a surge in surrender intakes) all need branded items.