Why Modern Animal is winning on taste, not just tech

Issue #266

November 12, 2025

Quick Hits:

💰️ Digitail raises $23M to become the all-in-one operating system for modern vet clinics

📈 BARK reports Q2 revenue up 8% to $130.6M as new subscriber growth and toy margins drive a stronger quarter

🥳 Gallant gets FDA safety nod for first ready-to-use stem cell therapy for chronic gum disease in dogs

🥗 PawCo launches the first-ever “real salad” for dogs

🤔 Rover’s 2025 pet name report reveals the rise of “Barbie,” “Swift,” and AI-inspired monikers like “ChatGPT”

🐕️ 💨 We love this chart that creatively depicts slowest and fastest dog breeds

Modern Animal's new brand positioning doesn't look like any vet you've seen.

With an updated voice, color palette, font, and lifestyle photography, the company now declares in bold typographic candor:

The visuals could be mistaken for a spread in Vogue with stylized shots of pets and owners in cinematic poses, drenched in high-fashion irony.

A little bit of Wes Anderson a little bit of Gucci.

This creative repositioning matters because it signals an emotional, self-aware, human-first era in pet care branding.

Veterinary care, once marketed with clinical authority or cutesy puns, is being reframed as a lifestyle ritual rather than a chore.

And it's not happening in a vacuum.

Across pet wellness and services, brands are adopting the creative vocabulary of fashion, boutique hospitality, and wellness culture.

Pet care has entered its taste era, where how it feels is as important as what it does.

Modern Animal's tone exemplifies this shift.

By unapologetically saying "we actually give a sh*t," the company displays a form of radical sincerity that today's pet owners crave.

It's emotional and slightly irreverent, a far cry from the sterile smiles and cartoon mascots of yesteryear's vet ads. The tagline's plainspokenness is disarming and humanizing, building trust through honesty.

It acknowledges that pet parenthood is messy, weird, and deeply felt.

Cultural Branding as Competitive Strategy

Step into a Modern Animal clinic and you might wonder if you've entered a trendy co-working space or a chic little Aussie cafe plucked from the streets of Melbourne.

The brand's art direction is vivid, cinematic, and winkingly ironic, deliberately breaking the mold of traditional vet marketing.

Gone are the cartoon paw prints and saccharine taglines. In their place are lush color palettes, editorial-style pet portraits, and copy that reads more like lifestyle branding.

This is by design.

Today's pet owners, especially Millennials and Gen Z "pet parents," seek a sense of belonging and identity reflection in the services they use.

Modern Animal recognizes that it's speaking to "animal people" who see pet care as part of their lifestyle and values, not a mere transaction.

By adopting the tropes of cultural branding, Modern Animal positions itself as more than a vet. It's a community and a mindset.

The tone is cheeky but disarmingly sincere, using humor to signal authenticity.

We've seen parallel moves in human healthcare with forward-thinking clinics that feel like spas, and in CPG food brands like Oatly, which famously used tongue-in-cheek copy to earn consumers' trust.

Modern Animal's gamble is that by speaking the cultural language of its clients through irony, empathy, and design-savvy, it becomes their brand.

As one industry observer noted, Modern Animal is part of a "new breed" of challengers bringing a design and people-first approach to pet services, aiming to be "the first human-focused veterinary company."

Crucially, this cultural branding isn’t just window dressing.

It’s shaping real behavior and business outcomes.

Modern Animal’s member model, which charges $199 per year for unlimited visits and 24/7 virtual access, has helped the company scale to 27 locations across California, Texas, and Colorado, serving over 100,000 pets as of 2025.

That growth translates to a $100M annual run rate and 85% year-over-year revenue growth, according to the company’s latest funding disclosure, which was a raise of $46M to continue to scale out its’ model.

Those are not vanity numbers; they’re proof that design-driven experience converts to measurable loyalty and share of wallet.

Why does it work?

Because the brand makes engagement feel good.

Its app replaces the friction of phone-tree scheduling with one-tap messaging and 24/7 care access.

Its clinics look and feel more like boutique wellness spaces than medical offices - bright, calm, human-scale environments where pets and owners alike can exhale.

The design of the experience from UI to physical ambiance, drives utilization.

Even without public 2025 visit counts, Modern Animal’s trajectory suggests that members interact with the brand far more often than typical vet clients.

By making vet care feel like a chic, welcoming ritual rather than a chore, Modern Animal turns care into culture and loyalty into compounding growth.

Space as Brand Medium

If Modern Animal's branding borrows from fashion editorials, London's Every Tail Vets takes its cues from boutique hospitality.

This independent clinic, designed by KIDZ Studio, reimagines the vet's office as a calming, contemporary haven.

Think soft pink and warm wood tones, curved walls with no harsh edges, abundant natural light spilling in. Every element is meticulously crafted to reduce anxiety for pets and people alike.

Every Tail explicitly set out to build a "pet-friendly space" devoted to stress-reducing care, and it shows in every design choice.

The reception area features smooth beech-veneer surfaces alongside necessary stainless steel fixtures, striking a balance between warmth and cleanliness.

The palette of gentle hues and natural materials creates a vibe more akin to a day spa or an Aesop skincare boutique than a typical vet clinic.

The philosophy is simple. Design for emotion.

Just as a thoughtfully designed hotel lobby can put a traveler at ease, a thoughtfully designed clinic can put pet owners and their animals at ease.

Every Tail's co-founders, inspired by their own pet parent experiences, aimed to "modernise veterinary care, making it more simple and stress free" from the ground up.

This meant not only offering same-day appointments and transparent pricing, but also crafting a physical space that feels inviting.

Curved architectural forms guide visitors gently through the clinic, avoiding the clinical "boxy" feel that can spike anxiety.

Soft, indirect lighting replaces the glare of typical exam rooms.

There's even consideration for acoustics, minimizing the echo of barks or meows to keep the atmosphere calm.

Every Tail is using interior design as a brand medium to communicate care before any veterinarian even says hello.

The result is a clinic experience that merges healthcare with hospitality. It's not unlike walking into a cozy co-working café or a well-curated home.

You're greeted with friendly faces and a comforting environment that "feels like home."

This is a strategic differentiator.

In an industry where many clinics still resemble sterile medical facilities or chaotic waiting rooms, a space that lowers your shoulders and invites you to linger is a competitive edge.

Every Tail's physical design becomes part of its service offering.

Pet parents remember that feeling of relief and calm, and it fosters trust. The clinic's environment itself signals you're in good hands.

Modern Animal shares a similar belief, often highlighting its "nice spaces" and design-forward clinics as core to its value.

In both cases, space is not an afterthought. It's a primary canvas for brand expression and a key to operational differentiation.

A less stressed pet is easier to treat, after all.

Product Minimalism Meets Dog Food

On the pet food front, Maev has done something equally radical. It made dog food feel elevated and chic.

Maev is a DTC raw dog food co. that feels more like a minimalist skincare or wellness brand (I’ve highlighted Maev and it’s aesthetics before).

Its visual identity is the polar opposite of the typical pet food aisle explosion of paw prints and primary colors.

Maev's packaging consists of simple white pouches with an elegant black wordmark.

No glossy photos of golden retrievers, no cartoon bones or cheesy slogans.

As one design review marveled, it "looks so chic that you might want to taste a bite yourself."

The aesthetic would be right at home on the shelves of a trendy wellness boutique or Pop-Up Grocer, nestled between human-grade protein powders and adaptogenic supplements.

This editorial minimalism isn't just for looks.

It's a core part of Maev's strategy to build credibility through design.

The brand was founded on the insight that modern pet owners, especially urban ones, treat their dogs like extensions of themselves.

Thus, Maev once marketed itself as "the wellness brand for city dogs and their humans."

Its brand playbook borrows heavily from human DTC wellness trends.

There's a dash of Glossier's clean aesthetic, a pinch of Ritual or Seed's educational tone, and an Instagram feed that features as many stylish cityscapes and owner-dog duos as it does product shots.

Maev forgoes the usual cute doggie graphics and instead leans into content about nutrition science and dog lifestyle tips, presented with the cool, spaced-out typography you'd find in an indie magazine.

This elevated editorial approach clearly differentiates Maev.

As its design agency put it, the brand succeeded in "creating a dog brand that feels like no other," noting that most pet brands lean overly cutesy.

The impact of Maev's design-first mindset has been tangible.

In just a few years since its 2020 launch, Maev has served over 4M raw meals to dogs and built a devoted following.

The brand's sleek presentation helped it stand out in a crowded market and educated consumers on why its product was worth a premium. By 2023, Maev hit $11.7M in revenue, a growth trajectory that far outpaces many legacy pet food brands.

Katie Spies, Maev's founder, attributes part of this success to being a brand people "like enough to talk about."

Design is what initially gets people talking. Maev turned dog food into a lifestyle product. It feels aspirational.

Maev built a trust halo through brand design, healthy and sophisticated and intentional, which then justified its higher price point and kept customers loyal.

The website mirrors the same ethos with generous white space, stylish photography, and educational infographics laid out like a modern wellness journal. Every touchpoint reinforces the idea that this is not "dog food."

It's a wellness regimen for your beloved companion, curated by people who get it.

From Care to Culture

What do Modern Animal, Every Tail, and Maev have in common?

On the surface, they play in different corners of the pet world.

But collectively, they represent a broader shift. They're turning ordinary pet care into a cultural identity marker.

In this new landscape, they're not marketing to "pet owners."

They're designing for "pet people."

That subtle reframing makes all the difference. Owning a pet has evolved into a lifestyle category of its own, one with communities, aesthetics, and values that brands can tap into.

The next great pet brands are behaving more like cultural brands.

They build visual identities as a moat of credibility, so that the look and feel of their product or service signals quality before you ever try it.

They differentiate on creativity and emotional resonance, not just on price or features. And notably, they have decisively retired the old "cute pet" playbook.

No more dog bone clip art or ho-hum "Pawsitively the best!" puns.

In their place, we see sophisticated design languages that wouldn't be out of place in high-end human brands.

Modern Animal, Every Tail, and Maev each prove that "cute" is no longer a crutch in pet branding when you have genuine style and substance.

Modern Animal's clinics resemble modern lounges. Every Tail's feel like serene living rooms. Maev's packaging could sit on a shelf next to Aesop or Cereal Magazine.

By shedding the generic icons of the past, these brands signal to consumers that they understand them on a deeper level.

It's a form of tribal marketing. If you're the kind of person who appreciates this aesthetic and voice, you're our customer.

This creates an affinity that transcends the product. Maev's minimalist approach implicitly flatters the pet parent's taste. You have high standards and so do we.

Similarly, Every Tail's design says we respect that you want the best, most comforting environment for your pet's care. This alignment of values builds trust organically.

In branding, trust often comes from familiarity and identity. When customers see themselves, or who they aspire to be, reflected in a brand, that's when connection happens.

That's exactly what this new wave of pet brands is doing. Making pet care a part of one's personal brand and cultural identity.

From a competitive standpoint, the aesthetic arms race in pet care is creating new forms of defensibility.

A strong visual and experiential identity is hard to replicate overnight. It's a moving target, sustained by continual creative investment.

While another clinic can copy your pricing or your service list, they can't easily copy the feeling of walking into a Modern Animal or Every Tail space.

Countless startups could attempt a raw dog food, but Maev's brand aura gives it an edge that isn't easily cloned.

We're seeing pet care companies brand themselves almost like fashion houses or boutique hotels, each with a signature ambiance and ethos.

The implication is that consumers might start choosing vet services or pet foods not just on vetting the medical basics or nutritional facts, but on whose brand vibe they vibe with most. Care meets culture. Or perhaps more accurately, care becomes culture.

What This Means for Your Business

For founders and operators in the pet industry, these examples carry a clear message. Design is not an afterthought. It's a strategic line item with real ROI.

Modern pet parents are discerning customers who notice the details. The font on the clinic wall, the tone of voice in a confirmation email, the unboxing experience of pet food delivered to their door.

Investing in a cohesive brand experience pays dividends in loyalty and lifetime value.

Modern Animal's multi-touchpoint branding, including digital app, 24/7 virtual care, in-clinic design, and even branded merch for members, yields an ecosystem where clients stick around and engage more.

When the experience is delightful and seamless at every touch, customers have less reason to shop around, and vets love being a part of the team.

That kind of buy-in on both sides of the service is invaluable, and it comes from the company's relentless focus on building a place that's better for everyone who loves pets.

Another implication is the end of the "if we build it, they will come" mentality for pet services.

The new guard is showing that you have to curate not just a service, but an experience. And experience spans everything. Visual identity, tone of voice, physical environment, and culture.

Branding is bleeding into operations.

By designing clinics with staff well-being in mind, Modern Animal ensures employee areas are as thoughtfully designed as the client areas.

This improves talent retention and service quality, which loops back into a better customer experience. Similarly, Maev's brand clarity likely streamlines its customer acquisition.

People who land on its site immediately get what it's about and self-select into its subscription model because it resonates. There's less friction when your branding does upfront work to educate and entice.

Multi-channel coherence is another must.

The brands succeeding now ensure that their digital presence, physical spaces, and even packaging all tell a consistent story.

We see this with Every Tail Vets leveraging Instagram to showcase its beautiful clinic interiors and friendly team, reinforcing the same trust and comfort online that clients will feel in person.

Maev's social media and web content extend its "quiet sophisticated" vibe with partnerships and content that add cultural cachet.

For instance, featuring tennis star Jessica Pegula as an ambassador or hosting pop-up events for dog wellness.

It's all about creating an immersive brand world.

When a customer enters that world, whether by scrolling or walking through the door, they should instantly sense the brand's values. Consistency builds credibility.

Finally, the aesthetic arms race suggests that pet care brands are now competing on more than just who cares the most.

They're competing on who communicates that care the best.

The emotional intelligence of a brand, how well it understands and responds to the feelings of its customers, has become as important as its medical or nutritional expertise.

The design choices, the copy tone, the community-building efforts all telegraph emotional intelligence. They show that the brand "gets it."

And that's what modern trust looks like. A blend of competence and empathy, delivered through thoughtful design.

As we look ahead, expect the bar to keep rising.

The next generation of pet brands will need to not only out-care the incumbents, but out-design and out-culture them too.

Founders will allocate budget to brand experience the way they would to R&D, because in this arena, how you make people feel about caring for their pet can be the deciding factor.

The competitive advantage will go to those who turn functional services into personally meaningful experiences.

Pet care is no longer just about keeping tails wagging. It's about creating a sense of identity and delight around the whole journey of pet parenthood. The future of pet care won't just be healthier.

It will look better, feel better, and connect better.

Because at the end of the day, love for animals is emotional, and the brands that reflect that emotion in every facet are the ones winning hearts and market share.

Searches for “virtual vet” are up about 29% YoY, showing steady consumer adoption after years of sporadic pandemic spikes.

The chart suggests that what began as a COVID-era convenience has evolved into a normalized part of pet care, especially as hybrid service models and subscription clinics like Modern Animal continue to blur the line between digital and in-person care.

Notably, search volume now hovers around 4K monthly queries in the U.S., with peaks during winter and early spring, periods when travel, weather, and illness tend to trigger more remote vet consultations.

For industry operators, this trend signals a maturing market: demand for tele-vet options isn’t exploding anymore, but it’s proving resilient and sticky.

The next growth wave will likely come from embedded telehealth, where virtual consultations are bundled into memberships, wellness plans, or pet insurance, turning “virtual vet” from a search term into an expectation.

See you Friday!