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Animal Health & Pet Products PR

Rosica’s experience in animal health public relations and pet products PR spans two decades. We’ve served as corporate communications agency-of-record for Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health (ISPAH), PR agency-of-record for Merck Animal Health, public relations Counsel to Petmate (and other pet products companies), marketing and PR partner to Nutramax Laboratories (makers of Cosequin), public relations and crisis communications representation for Suveto (and their veterinary practices), and have represented renowned veterinarians and industry experts, such as animal behavioralists.

Our work typically focuses on professional communications to the veterinary community, with an emphasis on B2B/trade PR and marketing, but we have also worked extensively with consumer pet media. We regularly attend the top animal health and companion animal trade shows/conferences and read the trades to keep abreast of the latest trends, issues, products, and thought leadership views. We’ve worked in endocrinology, cardiology, parasiticides, nutraceuticals, antibiotics, vaccines, and microchipping – plus veterinary offices, toys, bedding, boarding, food, and feeding.

For the introduction of Merck’s Canine Influenza Vaccine and to ensure ongoing awareness and earned media coverage, we created a national veterinarian/KOL network, “Merck’s Media Vets,” (“MMV”), which entailed identifying veterinarians around the nation and media training these subject matter experts to speak about timely, topical, local pet-related issues and stories – then booking seasonal and opportunistic media opportunities for them. When a case of canine influenza broke out in Cleveland, Ohio (and dozens of other cities), we secured media interviews, utilizing our national network of vets, for our local veterinarian spokesperson to educate consumer audiences about the issue and direct them to a local veterinary practice, if their dog exhibiting symptoms. Important to note here is that Merck did not pay these veterinarians nor did Rosica. They benefited from the local media exposure we generated while Merck saw month over month and year over year increases in canine influenza vaccine sales.  The earned media we garnered for our KOL spokespeople included local television, radio, online, and print outlets.

We also creatively and professionally developed and executed other notable campaigns, which animal health marketing professionals readily recognize. One such product launch and multi-year PR program we created and implemented was for the HomeAgain microchip brand. We secured a strategic partnership with famous animal advocate, Betty White, and obtained more than 100 million consumer and 20 million trade media impressions (all earned), which fueled sales of the product for ISPAH then Merck’s veterinary office customers. Plus, we partnered with animal advocates organizations and recognized pet rescue workers who reunited pets with their families for hundreds of additional non-paid media placements.

We’ve also worked on such consumer pet product brands as Chuckit!, jw, and Petmate. Because of our deep animal health and pet products experience, we bring clients in this area informed business and communications strategies. We combine this with creative thinking, attention to detail, professional account management/service, accountability, and crisis communications counsel. Rosica prides itself on having up-to-the-minute knowledge and expertise in the latest digital and traditional communications channels and tactics. We help our clients reach and engage with their target audiences, including trade and consumer media and KOLs in the companion animal space. Moreover, our PR agency works collaboratively with our clients’ staff and agency partners to leverage PR placements and ensure digital integration of all communications activities.

Click here to connect with an animal health & pet product PR pro.

Animal Healthcare PR

"The creative and successful media event you executed to promote fibromyalgia awareness not only reached legislators but delivered our message to the general public through the mass media you secured."

Karen Boykin-Towns,
Senior Director / Team Leader, Government Relations, Pfizer Inc.

"Chris Rosica led two public speaking and media training sessions with 17 of Covanta’s managers from plants throughout the New York/New Jersey region. One manager from our Niagara facility conducted an interview two weeks after the training and aced it. We credit this to Rosica."

Hank Asher,
Business Manager, Covanta Essex Company

"I received the email campaign that captures all of the wonderful coverage the Rosica team generated for Johnson & Johnson’s FIRST Robotics Competition. This was sent to all our partners and generated a significant response. WOW! Awesome!"

Donald H. Bowers,
Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic FIRST, Johnson & Johnson

“A long-time provider of digital marketing services, Rosica knows the digital space and how to leverage PR coverage to accelerate ROI. It’s rare that a PR firm possesses the online marketing chops this agency does – and it’s no wonder; they started a digital agency more than 15 years ago! Rosica brings a unique perspective and is truly focused on adding value and maximizing deliverables.”

Ronald Chaluisán Batlle,
MEd, MA, Executive Director, Newark Trust for Education

“Through Rosica’s counsel and SalesSmart PR strategy, we leveraged a TV interview the agency secured for us on Bloomberg Television and landed a new multi-year, multi-million-dollar relationship that spanned 15 years. This was perhaps the best ROI I’ve gotten from PR, or any other agency partner we’ve hired. A smart PR and marketing team is an understatement!”

Mike Ferranti,
CEO, Endai

“Rosica PR delivered tremendous media results and helped boost sales by more than one million dollars in the first year of our campaign”

Maureen Wales,
VP Marketing Pearson Learning

“When disaster hit in the middle of the night, the Rosica team responded. Within 24 hours, they secured media attention that raised $30,000. They had a direct impact on our ability to serve the community, and that’s a true partnership.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Fernandez,
Former Divisional Commander, The Salvation Army Greater New York Division

"Rosica has helped bring awareness to adult illiteracy like no other organization in the nation. They are the authority on education, cause marketing and community relations.”

Pat Johnston,
National Chair, Literacy Volunteers of America

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs: Animal Health PR

PR for pet products requires a balance between emotional storytelling and scientific credibility. Many pet owners make purchasing decisions based on the bond they share with their animals and their veterinarians. In fact, research shows veterinarians are the top influencers for pet products. “Nearly 81% of pet owners seek advice from a veterinarian, and around 44% of pet parents name their veterinary team as the most important source of pet nutrition information.”

Pet parents want assurance that products are safe, effective, and supported by experts, friends, and family members, in large part because our pets cannot tell us what they need and what their preferences are. In addition, unlike many traditional consumer products, pet care products are fewer in number and category type, mainly consisting of crating, bedding, food/treats, toys, and prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements.

Public relations and thought leadership initiatives help animal health and pet product brands communicate these benefits while building trust among pet owners, veterinarians, retailers, distributors, and influencers. The result is stronger credibility and a clear conveyance of what makes a product different from others.

While veterinarians are highly informed professionals, their bandwidth is limited due to patient load and a multitude of activities required to effectively manage a veterinary practice. Therefore, communicating with this professional audience is akin to marketing to doctors in the human health arena. This style of communication, therefore, requires a different approach than consumer marketing communications (marcom) does. PR helps veterinary product manufacturers communicate through trade media, industry conferences, thought leadership initiatives, key opinion leader (KOL) engagement, and strategic earned media opportunities. Rather than relying solely on promotional messaging, PR helps position products within the broader context of animal health and well-being, clinical outcomes, (dog) training, practice management, and patient care. This focus helps build awareness, credibility, and consideration among veterinary professionals.

Yes, animal health and veterinary brands must communicate with both veterinary professionals and pet owners. There are several reasons, which include: pet owners frequently ask their veterinarians about products they hear and read about; they need help translating complex animal health topics into clear, accessible language while maintaining scientific accuracy; and they often research pet-related topics online and through social media channels. Through earned media coverage, expert commentary, consumer education, social media marketing, and thought leadership, PR can help an organization build awareness, demonstrate ease of use (e.g., via consumer-friendly videos), strengthen its reputation, and reinforce trust in the brand. Therefore, the most effective PR and marcom programs ensure consistency across professional and consumer audiences while tailoring messaging appropriately for each group.

Organizations throughout the veterinary practice and animal health products and services sector (including pet prescription medications and pet insurance) benefit from strategic public relations. This includes animal health pharmaceutical companies, pet food manufacturers, veterinary hospitals, practices, and specialty practices, aggregators, nutraceutical brands, diagnostics companies, animal welfare organizations, veterinary technology companies, pet insurance providers, microchip manufacturers, and consumer pet products/brands. While communications objectives may vary, the common goal is to build reputation, strengthen visibility, communicate value, protect their images, create demand and word-of-mouth, and establish credibility among key stakeholders.

A successful product launch requires more than just a press release, though news releases provide other benefits, including AI search and SEO visibility. Strategic public relations can help an organization turn a product launch into a compelling problem/solution narrative that explains why a product matters, who it helps, and what problem/s it solves. A smart PR program should encompass media relations, thought leadership, spokesperson selection and preparation, stakeholder communications, tradeshow and conference support, KOL activities, influencer outreach and content creator partnerships, and the dissemination of educational content. The strongest launches position the product as an answer to a veterinary practice’s or pet owner’s needs, rather than simply promoting features and benefits.

Veterinarians, researchers, specialists, and other subject matter experts play a critical role in building credibility within the animal health and pet products/services industry. KOL programs can help these organizations identify and establish partnerships with trusted experts who can provide education, insights, content, commentary, and product/service information and recommendations that pertain to relevant issues veterinarians and their staff, and pet parents, want to know about. These experts can serve as trusted voices for stakeholders, such as media, conference attendees, vet techs, veterinarians, and pet owners. Their perspectives can strengthen thought leadership, reinforce scientific credibility, build stakeholder trust, and help organizations adeptly communicate about complex topics.

Yes. Disease outbreaks and other animal health issues often generate media attention and concern among pet owners. PR helps organizations respond quickly with clear, accurate, digestible, and timely communications that guide people without creating unnecessary stress. Whether it’s regarding an outbreak, product recall, misinformation, or other urgent issue, PR professionals help establish cogent messaging, manage media inquiries, engage stakeholders, and ensure that subject matter experts are available to provide information promptly. Timely and strategic responses are critical in protecting both public confidence and a company’s or practice’s brand reputation.

Veterinarians and animal health experts possess deep technical knowledge but may not have deep experience communicating with television viewers, radio and podcast listeners, and print and digital media readers. Media training helps these experts to communicate clearly, avoid unnecessary jargon, and stay focused on key messages that are imperative to deliver during interviews. This makes their insights more appealing to reporters, consumer audiences, and veterinary professionals while helping position both the individual and the organization as knowledgeable and trustworthy sources of information.

Reporters are most interested in stories that are timely, relevant, and reflective of their audiences. This may include emerging disease concerns, breed-specific issues, innovations in veterinary medicine, pet health or product trends, new research, product launches, advancements in practice management, animal welfare initiatives, or seasonal pet health or safety topics. Media is far more likely to cover stories that spare blatant promotion and clearly demonstrate why the issue matters to veterinarians, pet owners, and/or the broader animal health community. The stronger the public interest and news relevance, the more likely you’ll be to secure earned media coverage.

Public relations helps veterinary practices build visibility and strengthen their reputations, positioning their staff and business as a trusted thought leader in the communities they serve. Through earned media, expert commentary, speaking engagements, community outreach, social media, and educational blog content, veterinary professionals can position themselves as reliable resources on important pet health and wellness topics and trends. This form of visibility helps practices remain top of mind among current and prospective pet owners and referral sources. For animal hospitals and specialty clinics, referrals are a primary method for building a customer base, and PR and the visibility that stems from it can perform a critical function for doing just this.

Veterinary hospitals and practices can face a variety of challenges, including patient care concerns, staffing issues, negative reviews, legal matters, disease outbreaks, or unexpected emergencies. PR professionals help veterinary organizations develop crisis communications plans, coordinate internal and external messaging, manage media inquiries, and communicate with clients in a clear and compassionate manner. Effective crisis communications help protect reputation, maintain client confidence, and ensure that important information is delivered consistently during periods of uncertainty.

Tradeshows and conferences provide valuable opportunities to increase visibility, engage with key stakeholders and decision-makers, support product launches, build relationships with media, and connect with KOLs and other industry experts. PR can help animal health organizations maximize these opportunities through media outreach, spokesperson opportunities, content creation, event promotion, and other thought leadership activities. In addition, it is imperative to maximize tradeshow exhibition investments through a strategic pre-conference, conference, and post-conference communication plan. The objective is to extend the value of the event and stand apart from the competition beyond the conference floor by building visibility, reinforcing key messages, and creating opportunities for future stakeholder engagement.

Many animal health organizations focus their communications on the professional veterinary community. However, brand building is maximized by also targeting consumer and pet-focused media and pet owners. Trade media helps reach veterinarians, practice managers, researchers, and industry decision-makers, while mainstream and business media help reinforce brand awareness among professionals, investors, and pet parents who frequently ask their veterinarians about products and services they read or hear about. A story generated through public relations may reflect an important health issue, pet care trend, or diagnostic or treatment-related topic. Effective PR recognizes that these audiences require different messaging and communications strategies while ensuring consistency and heightened visibility across all channels.

Earned media can support sales by providing third-party validation and credibility that advertising alone cannot achieve. When a respected publication features an organization, its products, or experts, it builds credibility and reinforces trust. Earned media coverage can support sales efforts by providing valuable content that can be shared with customers, prospects, partners, distributors, and veterinary professionals. PR story placements also appear prominently online, helping an animal health company grow their online visibility. The value comes not just from exposure, but from strategically repurposing media coverage to achieve your marketing communications goals. The credibility associated with the coverage is powerful.

Digital PR helps extend the reach and impact of traditional PR efforts. Media coverage, expert commentary, thought leadership articles, social media, and online content all contribute to how an organization is discovered and perceived online. Digital PR helps ensure that accurate, credible information about a brand is available where veterinarians, pet owners, journalists, and other stakeholders are searching for answers. This can strengthen brand awareness, build authority, reinforce positioning and messaging, and support the building of a stellar reputation.

PR helps organizations move beyond product claims and focus on the broader story behind the company, its expertise, innovation, and commitment to animal health and wellness. Strategic PR storytelling helps communicate value, differentiate the brand, and build confidence among pet owners, veterinarians, retailers, and other stakeholders, such as influencers. Through earned media coverage, thought leadership, expert commentary, and educational, engaging content, public relations creates meaningful distinctions that resonate with professional and consumer audiences. This approach helps brands build credibility and ensures the brand remains relevant and memorable long after a product launch.

Selecting a PR agency partner can be tricky, so do your research online and look for agencies that specialize in animal health and pet products. These firms know the media landscape and understand what makes news in this burgeoning industry.

A suitable PR agency should understand both the science of animal health and the communications challenges and opportunities that are unique to the industry. Public relations helps emotionalize key messaging and pet-interest stories. Therefore, a strong partner should have experience working with veterinary professionals, consumer pet audiences, trade media, industry conferences, and key opinion leaders. The agency should also demonstrate expertise in media relations, thought leadership, crisis communications, reputation management, PR measurement, and strategic storytelling. Most importantly, the agency should be able to explain complex topics in a way that is accurate, understandable, and meaningful to the audiences that matter most, which means developing stakeholder-specific messaging. A seasoned public relations agency should also know how to skillfully manage issues and crisis communications.

Media coverage is one important indicator, but strategic PR should be evaluated through a broader lens, through thought leadership measurement. Effective PR can support reputation management, improve message delivery, strengthen confidence among key audiences, and increase visibility for the organization and its subject matter experts. Organizations should assess not only the quantity of coverage secured but also the quality of the placement, the audiences reached, and the extent to which communications efforts support broader business and organizational objectives. It is recommended that animal health product companies and veterinary practices should seek a PR agency with strong measurement capabilities and tools.

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