(PRESS RELEASE) RALEIGH, NC — FWV Fetching, the division of French/West/Vaughan (FWV) dedicated to pet and animal health PR/marketing, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, marking two decades of leadership in one of the nation’s fastest-growing consumer categories. Founded in 2003 by Kristen Levine, Fetching was the nation’s first agency dedicated exclusively to pet and animal health clients. FWV acquired FWV Fetching in 2017.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the global pet industry grew by approximately 28%. The combined pet and animal health category is now a $120 billion economy, having grown by more than double digits over the past 10 years. As the marketplace expanded, Levine established her influence as an industry pioneer, media personality and lifestyle authority while the agency grew into a marketing powerhouse.
“I believe our success has come from the understanding that we need pets as much as they need us, and that by making the world a better place for them, we make it better for ourselves,” Levine said. “FWV Fetching helps brands express that core value in creative and meaningful ways. As a lifelong pet lover and pet parent myself, I am extremely proud of that.”
Levine’s journey began in 1988 when she volunteered at an animal shelter in Tampa, Florida, leading to her role as PR director for the Tampa Bay SPCA, a position she held for 15 years. After its founding in 2003, Fetching soon landed Purina’s Beneful brand followed by the largest veterinary specialty practice in Florida, now known as Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, and within five years, the young agency was working with brands like Toyota on pet lifestyle campaigns across the globe. In 2013, Levine acquired PetPR.com, a market news distribution service. The following year she launched Kristen Levine Pet Living, a lifestyle blog and online resource that positioned her among the pet industry’s most popular and knowledgeable influencers.
FWV Fetching continues to reinforce its leadership role, being named agency-of-record by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the association’s Global Pet Expo in 2021, and by the North American Veterinary Community’s VMX, the world’s largest veterinary expo and conference, in 2022. In 2023, the agency won a Gold VETTY award for marketing excellence in the animal health industry for its integrated marketing campaign for Pets Add Life, APPA’s consumer-facing initiative.
“We have long recognized the importance and potential of the pet and animal health space, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to bring Fetching under the FWV umbrella when it presented itself, and the industry has grown exponentially since then,” said FWV Chairman & CEO Rick French. “Kristen’s passion and expertise in the category have given our agency an opportunity to sustain a leadership position in a niche that is extremely important to consumers, and we could not be more excited to celebrate this major milestone together.”
Today, with the multi-disciplinary capabilities of FWV, FWV Fetching brings a comprehensive array of integrated marketing services to clients both directly and indirectly involved in the pet and animal health space, a market economy whose growth shows no signs of slowing down.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is one of the nation’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agencies. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and founded in April 1997, FWV has received 25 National Agency of the Year honors over the past quarter century, along with more than 1,500 PR, advertising and digital marketing awards on behalf of its global roster of blue-chip clients, which include Wrangler, ABB, Proximo, Melitta, Teen Cancer America, Mitsubishi Electric, N.A. and the N.C. Department of Transportation, among others. FWV is the parent company of fashion and lifestyle PR firm AMP3 (New York City); mobility and transportation-focused agency The Millerschin Group (Detroit); pet and animal health practice FWV Fetching; outdoor, ski, fashion, technology and consumer brand marketing agency CGPR (Greater Boston) and feature film development imprint Prix Productions. FWV is a partner in IPREX, a $380 million network of communication agencies with 1,600 staff and 110 offices worldwide. For more information, visit fwv-us.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo or Instagram.