Spring 2023

MARKETING
RESEARCH
REPORT
Prepared by: Kaylee Cannon, Megan
Majors, Jadie Petersen, & Collyn Sebastian

3238 Clay Ave, Waco, TX 76711

 TABLE OF
CONTENTS

02 Executive Summary

03-07 Situation Analysis

08 SWOT Analysis

09-13 Summary of Research

14 Recommendations and
Objectives

15 Bibliography

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 1
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mission Statement
The Animal Birth Control Clinic provides access to affordable spay/neuter and preventative
veterinary care. With financial support and collaboration, the health and safety of our
community is improved while enriching the lives of cats, dogs and their families.

Vision Statement
It is our vision of a community where every cat and dog is cared for and wanted.

The Problem
With 30+ veterinary clinics in the Waco area, ABC seeks to differentiate itself and build
brand awareness for the younger pet owner population in the Waco area to utilize their
services to provide loving homes for Waco pets.

The Solution

Brand Adjustments Advertising Campaign Audience Capturing

Website redesign Run social campaign Target younger audience

Logo and color redesign Increase Brand Harness new pet owners
Awareness

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 2
 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Market Analysis

Market size and share: The market for Animal Birth Control Clinic includes Waco and
McLennan County residents. Compared to vetinary clinics, they have a the majority of the
low-income market.

Seasonality: They company operates year-round. Upcoming marketing and advertising

techniques could lean on holidays or seasons of the year depending on when owners
welcome a new pet into their homes.

Development potential: The clinic has the potential to become the main place low-income
and young adult go for spa and neuter.

Consumer Analysis

Demographics: The current demographics of consumers include low-income pet owners,

first-time pet owners, men and women ages 25 and above. This is why ABC clinic wants to

reach a younger market of college students and pet owners.

Psychographics: Most of their current clients have a deep love for their pets And that is

why they find their way to ABC clinic.

Primary research findings of consumers: When speaking with Carrie Kuehl from Animal

Birth Control Clinic, she said that many of their clients know little about when animals

need to be spayed/neutered. There is a also a need to inform the young demographic of pet

owners because of this reason.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 3
 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Company Analysis

Company history: The Animal Birth Control Clinic is a product of the original
organization, the Animal Aid Humane Society which was formed in 1971. In 1983,
the organization began working with local veterinarians to provide spay/neuter
services to pets owned by low-income individuals. Animal Birth Control Clinic was
started in 1988 to offer a low-cost alternative to the community. They currently
perform about 265 surgeries a week.

Culture/ vision: Their core values include compassion, quality, and commitment to
social change. Their vision statements states that, “It is our vision of a community
where every cat and dog is cared for and wanted.”

Problems/ challenges: The problem and challenge that the company faces is
bringing awareness to young pet owners abut the need of spay/neuter for their new
pets.

Industry trends: The industry includes local vetinary clinics that offer other services
besides spay and neuter. However, the trend is that young pet owners do not know
where to go or how much to pay for their pets to have this service.

Opportunities: The Animal Birth Control Clinic has the opportunity to become the
main place people go to for spay/neuter services, especially for young adults. By
bringing more awareness they can bring in more clients and pets.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 4
 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Product Analysis

The Waco Animal Birth Control Clinic prides itself on its wide variety of services it
provides for pet owners with strict budgetary restrictions regarding pet care and safety.
Their most popular offering is the spay/neuter surgery for cats and dogs, but a longer list of
services includes: microchipping, heartworm treatment, vaccinations, and general wellness
checks. All of their services are offered at a susidized cost that ensures that every pet has
the ability to be happy and healthy.

Competitive Analysis

Primary Competitors Secondary Competitors

Pet owners not Animal Hospital of
spaying/neutering Waco
SPCA of Texas Cottonwood Creek
Texas Coalition for Veterinary Hospital
Animal Protection Lake Air Animal
Hospital

Comparative Attributes and Benefits

ABC's main source of differentiation and

benefit is their pricing model that allows for
discounted services. However, this means
their main customer base might be more
willing to not take advantage of any services
based on budgetary restraints; making their
biggest competitor the act of not using their
services at all. The Waco Animal Birth
Control clinic is also a nonprofit which places
it in a different competitor pool than clinics
that are for-profit.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 5
 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Comparative Messaging
According to IBIS World industry report of Veterinary Services in the US, the industry as a
whole is highly fragmented, specifically 90.6% of the market share concentration are
formed by minor players or single-site facilities such as the Waco Animal Birth Control
Clinic. This means that there is high competition on a local level to harness clients by using
compelling messaging and advertising methods. Waco Animal Birth Control Clinic
currently places their messaging to donors, pet owners and recurring customers mostly in
an effort to increase education about pet care and the services they offer. Waco Animal
Birth Control Clinic differentiates itself by using welcoming and caring messaging that
clearly states the benefits of using their clinic compared to other for-profit clinics.

Comparative Market

Share
Carrie Kuehl, Executive Director of Waco Animal Birth Control Clinic, clearly stated in our
interview that ABC does not view themselves as a competitor with the 30+ other
veterinary clinics in the Waco area because they are for-profit and do not typically serve
the same clientele. Therefore, the unique business model of ABC allows for a substantial
share of the Waco market of veterinary clinics that offer lower costs for pet care
procedures. On a macroeconomic scale, ABC fits into the majority of the market share of
veterinary services as they are a single-site local clinic.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 6
 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Climate Analysis

There are several trends that continue to influence the veterinary industry in the United
States and Waco, TX that would impact the Animal Birth Control Clinic.

Economic Factors Social Factors Technical Factors

Consolidation of Pet owners increase Increasing range of
private practices in willingness to pay pet care services
into corporate for pet treatments Technologies are
chains that were once migrating from
Rising pet reserved for humans human health field to
insurance rates Increase in pet animal health
Rising inflation ownership from Increasing
rates COVID-19 advancements in
Growing awarenss surgical and
of animal health and diagnostic
well-being procedures

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 7
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths Weaknesses
Most affordable Not well known within the
spay/neutering in the college community
county Website and Instagram are
Offers cost-effective out of date
pharmaceuticals/health Lack of customer retention,
services in packages few reccurring services
Personable staff make the offered
process on owners and

S W
animals trouble-free

Opportunities O T Threats

Social media oriented Local veterinary clinics

business models, through offering the same procedure
sponsored ads, etc. Increasing costs component
Growing market size in the while working in an
Waco community underdeveloped part of town
Increase pet products "You get what you pay for"
offered in-store mentality
Building relationship with Consumers not wanting to
local animals shelters spend money on their animals

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 8
 SUMMARY OF
RESEARCH
Primary Research - Interview

1 2 3 4
LAUNCH FUNDING GOAL TARGET

Their main goal of

Opened their doors Receiving a majority of
Founded on providing providing affordable
in 1971 as an animal their funding through
affordable veterinary care works to alleviate
shelter and then donations and the city of
care, the Animal Birth the financial stress of
expanded in 1988 by Waco, this leaves little
Control Clinic strives to becoming a new pet
opening their first for marketing and
maintain a low cost for owner and encourages
clinic. They offer advertising tactics. They
their clients through them to continue caring
preventative want to find ways to
donations and city properly for their pet.
veterinary services reach their target
funding. They currently They strive to make pet
such as vaccines, audience and educate
have the capacity to owners feel welcome
spay/neuter, new pet owners without
serve the immediate and work to alleviate
wellness checks expanding beyond their
Waco area. their fears of being a
and more. capacity and resources.
new pet owner.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 9
 SUMMARY OF
RESEARCH
Primary Research - Survey

Number of Responses : 38
Distributed via instant messaging channels to various communities on
Baylor University's campus.

Most of the respondents are between the ages of 22 and 19 years old and
are current Baylor students living in the Waco community. A majority of
respondents live off-campus (32) with the rest residing on Baylor's
campus in the dorms (6).

Current cat and/or Number of cat(s)

dog owner 23% are cat owners and/or dog(s) owned
5+ Pets
7.1%

69% are dog owners 2 Pets

21.4%
Roughly 33.33% of students
The remaining 8% are both cat and dog owners.
have a cat and/or dog.

1 Pet
71.4%

A majority of respondents had a cat and/or dog in their childhood home

(11 out of 13 responses), with 5 of those respondents having brought their
childhood pet to college. Most had not become a first time cat and/or dog
owner in college (7), with only 1 who had become a first time cat and/or
dog owner in college.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 10
 SUMMARY OF
RESEARCH
Primary Research - Survey

Of the responses that are not current cat and/or dog owners, the majority
reasons for not becoming an owner are:
Too little time available (17)
Overall cost including cost of food, veterinary bills, pet fees, etc. (14)
Pets not allowed by landowner/apartment complex (6)

Have you utilized services

Have you been to a Have you heard of the
offered by the Animal
veterinary clinic in Waco? Animal Birth Control Clinic?
Birth Control Clinic?
Yes
Yes
20.5%
17.9%
No
38.5%

Maybe
Yes 12.8%
61.5% No
66.7%

No
82.1%

Of the responses that are current pet owners and had been to a veterinary
clinic in Waco, the majority of responses for visitation are the following:
Preventative Care - spay/neuter, vaccinations, flea/tick/heartworm
medication (7)
General Check-up (5)
Treatment of Illness (3)
Injury (3)
Diagnosis of Illness (2)

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 11
 SUMMARY OF
RESEARCH
Primary Research - Survey

The final part of the survey included three basic education questions
regarding knowledge of health, safety and community animal shelter
benefits of preventative health care, as well as the general age for a cat or
dog to receive their vaccines and be spayed/neutered.

Health Benefits Safety Benefits Community Animal

Mean: 4.58 out of 10 Mean: 4.82 out of 10 Shelter Benefits
Mean: 5.02 out of 10

When does a cat or dog need to get When does a cat or dog need to be
their first vaccine? spayed or neutered?

Correct
Correct
38.5%
41%

Incorrect
Incorrect
59%
61.5%

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 12
 SUMMARY OF
RESEARCH
Secondary Research

In the city of Waco, there are roughly 50, 990 households according to
the most recent census with roughly 2.52 persons per household. The
median household income was reported to be $42,687 with about 24.8%
living below the poverty threshold. Of those living in Waco, about 56.3%
are between the ages of 18 and 65.

Baylor University's current undergraduate enrollment is 15,213 students

and increasing by 5,493 students if graduate and professional students
are included. With the recent isolation of COVID-19, many students have
turned to pets as a way to combat separation anxiety and other
mental illnesses.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average

number of veterinary visits for a dog is 2.4 and for a cat it is 1.3. The
average cost per year of veterinary expenses is $410 for a dog and $182
for a cat. With the limited income available to not only the Waco
community, but also to Baylor students, the Animal Birth Control is
offering a service that can support current and future cat and/or
dog owners.

The major products offered by typical veterinary services include pet

grooming, routine examinations, surgical treatments, laboratory services
and more, however all at prices that are more expensive compared to the
Animal Birth Control which receives supplementary funding from the
city of Waco and donors.
Animal Birth Control Clinic
Research Report 2023 13
SUMMARY OF
RECOMMENDATIONS
& OBJECTIVES
As a team, we plan to target four main areas to create
valuable returns for the Animal Birth Control Clinic from
our advertising campaign.

Action Item Goal

Brand Adjust the brand colors, logo,

Adjustments mission statement and name.

Creatively produce a
Advertising campaign that will reach the
Efforts right people, with the right
message, at the right time.

Target new pet owners,

Capture New
specifically local college
Audience
students ages 18-24.

Create a campaign to educate

Expand Service target members of the Waco
Awareness community about the
services and benefits offered.

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Animal Birth Control Clinic. https://www.animalbirthcontrol.org/mission

American Veterinary Medical Association. "U.S. pet ownership statistics."

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-
statistics

Baylor University Alumni Magazine. "In High Demand."

https://www.baylor.edu/alumni/magazine/2101/index.php?
id=986300#:~:text=Total%20undergraduate%20enrollment%20totaled%2015%2C21
3,programs%2C%20increasing%20to%205%2C493%20students.

Carrie Kreuhl, personal communication, February 2, 2023.

IBISWorld, Inc. “Industry Market Research, Reports, and Statistics.” IBISWorld,

https://my-ibisworld-com.ezproxy.baylor.edu/us/en/industry/54194/industry-
outlook.

IBISWorld, Inc. "Veterinary Services in the U.S." IBIS World. https://my-ibisworld-

com.ezproxy.baylor.edu/us/en/industry/54194/about

United States Census Bureau.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wacocitytexas/POP060210

Animal Birth Control Clinic

Research Report 2023 15