مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد استراتژی های بازاریابی در عمل بالینی حیوانات کوچک – امرالد 2017

It is clear that the main mission of a veterinary medicine project is focused on animal health and welfare, so they are the ones that receive the services and products (baths and food, for example). Therefore they can be considered consumers of the clinic, although they have no power to choose a clinic. Who has the power of decision and really elect the medicinal veterinary clinic are their owners, and they are considered the customers of the organization. That is why, from the enterprise aspect, the company needs to be profitable, to survive and grow, so new services can be offered to add value, satisfying both consumers and customers. Gordon (1998) classifies customers into categories, the “Prospects” people identified within the general population and whose profile matches the target audience of the organization but which are not yet buyers of their services, and the “Defenders”, which are very committed and loyal to the organization, and spontaneously diffuse the brand. It is the marketing manager´s role to adopt marketing strategies so the target segment passes from one category to another. According to the Brazilian Association of Pets Products Industry (Abinpet), the national market of pets in 2012 handled R$ 14.2 billion, corresponding to 0.32% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). There was also an increase of 16.4%, when compared to 2011, while in the same period, the country’s economy advanced only 0.9%. Brazil is the second largest market in the world in this field, preceded only by United States. Thus, it is considered very attractive, despite being extremely competitive (Sebrae, 2013). Given this highly competitive scenario, being just a competent veterinarian professional is not enough, it is necessary to manage the veterinary medicine as an enterprise, housed in a marketing system in which disputes space with other veterinarians, with differentiated consumer expectations to be attended. In this sense, the knowledge and the correct application of the concepts and strategies of Marketing are currently key prerequisites for the success of an enterprise in veterinary medicine. A competent professional does not violate the ethics of Veterinary Medicine by using Marketing to serve the needs of their patients (Pereira, 2010a; Pereira, 2012c). This article is a result of an exploratory study accomplished by literature research, gathering and confronting two areas of expertise: marketing, with regard to management strategies, and veterinary small animal practice. As a result of conceptual analysis, it reaches the analysis of the applicability of some marketing strategies in veterinary small animal practice attempting to improve the management of the enterprises.