Why Pet Owners Don’t Trust Your Brand
With the high stakes at play for both pet owners and animal health businesses, the issue of trust in the veterinary profession is a hot topic. The UK Government’s Competition and Marketing Authority (CMA) is currently investigating this complex issue against the backdrop of rising prices, concerns about transparency and the high percentage of clinics that are part of large vet groups. But organisations in this space don’t have to choose between scale and intimacy – you can design a brand that feels local, even at a national scale.
Introduction
The pet industry is in somewhat of a quandary. The number of UK households that own a pet now stands at 17.2 million, representing 60% of the population – one of the highest figures to date, almost reaching the 2022 peak of pet ownership (62%) around the time of the pandemic. In tandem, the value placed on our companion animals has also skyrocketed: we truly see our pets as members of our family. Almost 9 in 10 pet owners say their pets provide emotional support to them, and almost 3 in 4 say the importance of their pet’s healthcare is equal to that of their family members (Assent & CMA Report, 2025).
And so the desire (and related consumer spend) to give them the best possible quality of life has also exponentially increased. Yet, despite the growing reliance on vets associated with this upward trend, the trust – the very relationship – between pet owners and the veterinary profession is very much on a downward trajectory.
This is in essence a problem of perception. While pet owners seek expert care, many are put off by the rise of corporatised clinics: they see them as impersonal and profit-driven, assuming these group-owned vet clinics place greater importance on meeting stakeholder needs than on the needs of the animals.
The good news is that perceptions can be changed. The trust gap in the animal health industry can be bridged by communicating who you are as a brand.
“While pet owners seek expert care, many are put off by the rise of corporatised clinics: they see them as impersonal and profit-driven. The good news is that perceptions can be changed.”
The trust deficit
Just like their human counterparts, the animal members of our families are seen as deserving a provision of care that is personalised and empathetic, delivered to them in a setting that feels familiar, friendly and local.
But group-owned vet clinics (now making up 3 out of 5 practices), such as national vet chains and clinic groups owned by pharmaceutical companies, are often tarred with the “faceless corporation” brush, perceived as detached, sales-focused and uncaring.
In this context, it is all the more important to understand and respect the relationship between vets, pet owners (clients) and the pets themselves (patients).
As well as being the very foundation of safe and effective veterinary care, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the veterinarian-client-patient relationship also creates the trust that is essential for pet owners to follow through with the treatment that is prescribed. The relationship can only be formed once a vet has examined the animal in person and is familiarised with their health history. This familiarity leads to much more accurate diagnosis, and allows both vets and pet owners to make informed decisions – and ultimately ensures the best outcome for the pet’s long-term wellbeing.
What’s important from a brand and communications perspective is that this vet-pet-owner triangle is a deeply emotional dynamic, and brands that don’t appreciate this – or tailor how they communicate accordingly – come off as tone-deaf.
The local vet
Independent practices, often well-known and well-beloved in their communities, have an inherent warmth that corporatised vet clinics struggle to emulate.
In part this is likely down to the idea of the faceless corporate vs the family-run local firm, irrespective of what type of business it is; but additionally, because we are talking about healthcare, the “humanness” of how service is provided is all the more significant – in times of need, we want compassion, as well as clinical excellence.
In a January 2025 market research report from Assent and the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), the vast majority (68%) chose their vet because of location. But proximity is not the only factor: pet owners care about who owns the practices. The same report showed that there is a low awareness about this – data from the CMA showed that 53% of people who use a group-owned vet practice didn’t know it was part of a large group – and at the same time, the level of confidence that pet owners have in group-owned practices is lower. Across a range of statements measuring the relationship between vet and pet owner, from standard of care to pricing and explaining treatment options, the net agreement scores were significantly higher for those at an independent practice compared to those at a large vet group for all statements. One of the most striking differences was with regard to the statement ‘I trust my vet practice to offer the fairest prices for pet treatment’, with a score of 55% for independent practices versus 33% for large vet groups.
Public perceptions
Pricing is a major piece of the puzzle in why trust in vets is declining. “While people have a lot of trust in individual vets, there are concerns about vet businesses,” a recent update on the CMA Blog tells us. The marketplace is a complex one, and “context is crucial”, with evidence suggesting that there have been price rises of 60% between 2016 and 2023, with medicines sold for 3-4 times the purchase cost. These rises, and the lack of transparency around prices in general, is a real and pressing problem for veterinarians (who have no control over the rising costs associated with advances in medicine and diagnostics) and pet owners alike.
A further update from the CMA’s market investigation into veterinary services, in a speech from the Inquiry Chair Martin Coleman, told us: “It is perhaps not surprising that the commercial aspects of vet services have risen up the public agenda. These services are mainly delivered by businesses who, in order to survive, innovate and grow, must of course charge a fee to pet owners. This is not new but in recent years the growth of large veterinary groups, who now serve around 60% of the market, has made this business facing element of veterinary services more apparent.”
Overcoming the corporate credibility conundrum
Just as the research shows, many large players in the veterinary industry hide their brand behind the clinic to seem local, with pet owners not knowing that their practice is part of a large group.
The problem with this approach is brand invisibility – there’s no opportunity to build trust in your brand because no-one is aware it’s your brand they’re interacting with. Instead of hiding who you are as a brand, the best way to combat mistrust is to be clear on who you are and what you stand for.
“Much of the unease from pet owners stems from the assumption that corporatised clinics are a business first and a health practitioner second. Clear brand positioning can demonstrate that it is the other way round – that care always comes first.”
Much of the unease from pet owners stems from a perceived lack of transparency about the necessity of treatment – with some assuming that corporatised clinics will over-prescribe, i.e. that they are a business first and a health practitioner second. Clear brand positioning can demonstrate that it is the other way round – that care always comes first. And moreover, that the access to resources that being part of a big group affords means additional benefits to both animal and owner.
For large vet groups, the opportunity is clear: you don’t have to choose between scale and intimacy – you can design a brand that feels local, even at a national scale.
A robust brand strategy will anticipate and address the doubts that pet owners have about vet practices owned by large groups. To counter the assertion that corporate healthcare providers can’t be trusted because they’re only out to make money, share stories about how medicines come to market – the steps in the development process, the cost of investment in research, but crucially also the positive outcomes – the lives that have been changed for the better. Be fully open about tests and treatments to show that they’re not being bamboozled into unnecessary extras. In brief, be as transparent as you can possibly be.
By investing the time to make communications with pet owners as in-depth and candid as possible, you’ll be equipping them with all the knowledge they need whilst also creating the space for them to ask questions (also opening up the opportunity to debunk what they may have read online), so that they feel both informed and empowered.
And remember that brand isn't just what you say, it's what you do. From the design of your website and apps to the waiting room experience and aftercare journeys – all play a role in trust.
Get creative to be strategic
A brand identity that reflects who you are isn’t a nice-to-have, but a strategic imperative for reaching and connecting with your customers and your industry. From tone of voice to social campaigns and educational content, your brand should be seen, heard and felt through everything you do. And when it is, the common objections expressed by your customers – pet owners – will be steadily and systematically overturned. This is the way to change hearts and minds.
We have done this with large animal health organisations, so we understand what is effective: a focus on empathy, warmth and appreciation of the emotional journey of pet ownership, brought to life in humanised brand identities and patient-led storytelling.
The ROI of trust
Pet owners don’t trust your brand because it feels corporate and cold. But it doesn’t have to.
Creative strategy is the way to reclaim the compassion, care and community spirit that drew people to vets in the first place: by delivering a consistent tone, visual identity and customer journey across every touchpoint in the pet owner experience, large vet groups can build the long-term loyalty and community engagement of their local independent counterparts.
In the complex and rapidly-changing veterinary market, customer loyalty is all-important, and trusted brands are the ones that are able to maximise repeat visits, staff retention and social advocacy.
“Trust remains one of the most powerful drivers of growth and long-term success,” a recent article on the ROI of trust asserts. But it can’t be forced: “it’s built gradually through consistency and reinforced by the everyday actions brands make.” The numbers don’t lie: “Trusted companies outperform their peers by up to 400%.”
And ultimately, the more successful your brand, the better the research, resources and results for vets, pet owners and the animals we care for.
If you want to turn your national network into a loved, trusted companion for pet owners, get in touch with FSC.
Future Strategy Club (FSC) is an independent creative agency that uses a unique partnership model to deliver incredible work without the overheads you’d find with a traditional agency.
We provide the full spectrum of strategic and creative solutions, delivering growth for our clients through culture transformation programmes, comms strategies, global campaigns, TV ads, world-leading websites, social strategies and brand communities.
FSC has worked with some of the biggest pet and animal health companies in the industry, with direct experience of working for large and mid-sized organisations in the UK, the US and Europe.
With our flexible model and senior strategists, vet groups can pilot creative interventions before scaling, rapidly testing and refining campaigns or concepts grounded in real-world behavioural insight.
Get in touch to find out why our values, approach and commitment to our clients makes us the creative partner you are looking for in a constantly changing world: hello@futurestrategy.club.
