eqstable case study

EQ (EQUINE) STABLE:

MUTUAL PASSION CONNECTS BRAND TO CONSUMEREXECUTIVE SUMMARY

With a brand transition from Pfizer to Zoetis, the need to build and strengthen re-

lationships, and the desire to grow the business beyond an already well-established

consumer base, Zoetis looked for new ways to extend their influence and grow the

business. The company made the determination to expand into social media with

a highly-regulated business, choosing the experienced social community strategic

leader, LiveWorld, to take the helm. The goals, to dialog directly with horse owners,

reinforce the brand transition, and extend the premium customer experience, have

been successfully met in just six months.

CASE STUDY: ZOETIS EQSTABLE

THE CHALLENGEZoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health), with 4.3 billion in annual revenue, is singularly focused on animal health — providing quality products, services, and a strong commitment to their customers. Traditionally, Zoetis has had an indirect relationship with their end customers, leveraging veterinar-ians as the conduit for their products. Zoetis determined it was time to take the next step — to a solid and direct relationship with those who use their products — with an eye toward growing their business by offering the premium sales experience to those not already engaged with the brand. Also, the industry is tightly regulated and, as such, Zoetis needs to carefully balance regulatory and legal requirements with a more free-form social media experience.

To implement the effort, the Zoetis Equine team asked social media leader, Liveworld, to create and deploy a social media strategy and program guided by these key goals:

THE SOLUTIONEQSTABLE

Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health), with 4.3 billion in annual revenue, is singularly focused on animal health — providing quality products, services, and a strong commitment to their customers. Traditionally, Zoetis has had an indirect relationship with their end customers, leveraging veterinarians as the conduit for their products. Zoetis determined it was time to take the next step — to a solid and direct relationship with those who use their products — with an eye toward growing their business by offering the premium sales experience to those not already engaged with the brand. As a caveat, the industry is tightly regulated and, as such, Zoetis needs to carefully balance regulatory and legal requirements with a more free-form social media experience. To implement the effort, the Zoetis Equine team asked social media leader, LiveWorld, to create and deploy a social media strategy and program guided by these key goals:

SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMThe program, a series of interviews, workshop ses-sions, and planning meetings, effectively combined customer, brand and social knowledge into a cohe-sive design to connect Zoetis business goals to so-cial media. The social architecture program resulted in a socialized view of the brand, the creation of a social cultural model as a basis for customer expe-rience, a roadmap for brand participation, and inte-gration across the marketing spectrum. The plan was to create a passion-driven community based upon members’ love of horses, and it focused on individual owners and the handler/trainers who were also likely to be enthusastic participants in so-cial media. Secondary strategies were crafted to ap-proach other audiences.

IDENTIFYING THE CULTURAL MODELTo create a social-cultural identity for EQStable, developers likened the experience to a party: If EQStable were a party, what type of party would it be? It was determined that the gathering would be informal, conversational, and focused on local

communities, with “BBQ at the Fair” as the over-arching concept. In short, it was to be an enjoyable virtual place for discussion of topics that mattered to fellow horse owners and lovers. This experien-tial vision was the basis of the culture that, through content and moderation, Liveworld would deliver to the Facebook community.

VALUE-DRIVEN CONTENTIt was clear that success would require meeting both practical and emotional needs of the EQStable audi-ence, the recreational horse owner and the equine handler/trainer. The aim was to help our target au-dience:

Connect to other businesses, families, and communities with similar interests and valuesBuild their businesses by delivering solutions from our equine connections, Zoetis, vets, and the communityStay current on important matters of horses’ health

CHOOSING A PLATFORMAn in-depth review of the social media spectrum considered channel strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of content type; legal and regulatory concerns and limitations; target audience penetration and access methods; cultural brand fit; and brand resources and risks. As a result, the final recommendation to engage audiences was a primary focus on Facebook, a secondary effort on Pinterest, and a supporting role for YouTube.

OWNER

Brag and share pictures of my horse(s) withothers that have the same passion level

Tips from the pros thay help me care for my horses

HANDLER / TRAINER

NewsletterCurrent trends, animal health, legislation, local flavor, etc

Let me demonstrate my skills and grow my or my stable’s brand

Invite me to be an expert and share my skills.Share with me videos of others I consiter peers

INTRODUCING.... EQSTABLE

Based upon the established cultural model and venue determi-nation, LiveWorld developed a comprehensive social content programming plan, launch strategy, and growth plan; followed by launch, ongoing management, content programming, engage-ment, moderation, and strategic refinement; guided by in-depth insights gleaned as the program evolved. The “About” page sets the stage in this mission statement: “Zoetis Equine is driven by our passion for horses and their well-be-ing, and for the equine industry and those it supports; this is the force behind our Facebook page. The consequences of disease and lameness impact not only the animal but the owner as well. We stand with you to provide you and your veterinarian with the best products to help your horses enjoy long, healthy lives.”

LAUNCH PLANThe launch plan included specific actions designed to share the excitement with three distinct groups:• Ensuring the Zoetis team was educated and excited about EQStable• Sharing the word with existing customers• Encouraging partner participation (breed associations and sponsor partners) Enthusiasm mounted as EQStable was featured on Zoetis.com, in marketing communications and

newsletters, and in subtle reminders of Zoetis social media participation, such as employee signa-tures. Existing relationships were leveraged to encourage sharing of EQStable proprietary content, as well as to invite active participation and content sharing across those partners’ social media ven-ues.

In coordination with Underscore, the EQStable launch included Facebook advertising and promo-tion, including elements focusing on quality, key demographic and interest groups, and targeting partner sites with similar interests. These efforts included strong calls to action, along with banners, promoted content, marketing, and joint promotion with the EQStable App — resulting in rapid initial growth.

Long-term growth strategies include creating ongoing partnerships with organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association, Home for Every Horse, and Time to Ride. Such alliances — for both content sharing and referral traffic — are designed to touch on the emotions and passions of those who share the love of horses, while serving the needs of both EQStable and partner partici-pants.

CONTENT STRATEGYWhile advertising was a key driver in the initial de-velopment of the community, the key to retaining interest is strong content that shares information and relays the pleasure of being involved with equines. Many brands make the mistake of talking mostly about themselves in social media, as if it were a broadcast medium — and the content thus falls flat with the target audience. Successful so-cial media efforts focus on the attendee, just as a great party host focuses on the guests having an enjoyable experience. Engaging the audience to encourage ongoing participation, to provide the opportunity to meet other interesting people, to discuss topics of interest with the brand and each other, and to share experiences and stories of general interest — these fuel a strong social media presence.

An optimized content mix of 40 percent social, 40 percent category-specific (horse-related), and 20 percent brand focus was adopted as the strongest path to growth and ongoing engagement.

Images of your horse, seasonal events and contents, heartwarming stories, etcSharing content from others, engaging in di-aloguePeer-recommended trainers to join discus-sion, give tips, share videos of them, etcSolution offerings, testimonials, profiles of staff, etc Link to newsletter for deeper information

To drive EQStable activity, monthly content themes centered on viewer interests and Zoetis busi-ness focus, including seasonal activities and health-related trends, events, and product timelines. In addition, these stimulating and recurring content items continue to draw in and encourage active participation on the part of EQStable members:

• Engage Discussion: quotes, captions, must-smile video• Targeting Audience: horseplay, stable club• Define the Company: personification of hosts, profiles, events• Demonstrate Expertise: veterinarian tips, nutrition & health• Display Brand Content

While pre-scripted content is at the core of community posts, engagement with the community gen-erates real-time content via conversations and trends. The LiveWorld team focuses on day-to-day management and engagement, making micro changes that maximize the discussion topics, passion areas, and interests of the community. Ongoing, we analyze post performance to fine-tune and im-prove scripted programming, resulting in a highly engaged community of equine enthusiasts.

The content calendar, while planned monthly, rapidly responds to news that matters to an audience focused on equine-related events. For example, members responded strongly to a June 18 post fol-lowing the Black Forest Fire in Colorado.

Data indicated the post was wide-ly shared and liked while LiveWorld hosts actively engaged fans in the comments to enthusiastic response.

In addition, LiveWorld reviews those posts that resonate best with the audience, with an eye toward de-veloping fresh content that meets both member expectation and brand goals over time. Beyond the oft-quoted Facebook likes, we con-duct deeper research looking at ac-tivity levels, sentiment, passion lev-els, topical analysis, and timing.

eqstable case study

Business

social media leader

social media spectrum

social media strategy

social knowledge

zoetis business goals

challenge zoetis

zoetis equine team

social cultural model