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Veterinary practice, competition and advertising: 1985-1994
New Zealand Veterinary Journal
|July 21, 2005
Summary
Veterinarians in New Zealand increasingly accepted professional advertising and competition between 1985 and 1994. Most now view advertising as a business tool, though fee advertising remains cautious.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary professional ethics
- Marketing and business practices in veterinary medicine
Background:
- Commercialization trends in professional services
- Historical attitudes towards advertising in the veterinary profession
Purpose of the Study:
- To track changes in New Zealand veterinarians' attitudes towards professional commercialization and advertising.
- To analyze shifts in the veterinary profession's orientation towards competition over time.
Main Methods:
- Three-wave longitudinal survey of veterinary professionals and four other groups in New Zealand (1985, 1988, 1994).
- Analysis of attitudinal shifts regarding commercialization and advertising practices.
Main Results:
- Significant increase in acceptance of advertising and competitive practices between 1985 and 1988, consolidating by 1994.
- Widespread acceptance of an openly competitive veterinary profession and informative advertising as a business-building tool.
- Continued caution regarding the advertising of veterinary fees, despite increased client demands.
Conclusions:
- Veterinary professionals' attitudes have significantly liberalized regarding advertising and competition.
- The profession's focus has shifted towards embracing business-building strategies through marketing.
- Recommendations for deregulation of advertising controls within the veterinary profession are proposed.