Expanded Beef Marketing Campaign Will Work to Boost Demand

New summer beef checkoff-funded radio and print advertising will be added to existing national consumer advertising and summer grilling promotions to address potential increased beef supplies caused by closed export markets for U.S. beef. 

National network radio advertising will air prior to the three major summer holidays – Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.  In addition, print advertisements will run in grilling issues of the popular Sunday newspaper supplements, USA Weekend and Parade.  The new advertising, as part of the overall “Taste of America Summer Grilling Promotion,” will tap into Americans’ passion for beef during the summer grilling season.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) will manage the campaign on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and state beef councils.  Efforts are funded by cattlemen through their $1-per-head Beef Checkoff Program.

“We are operating in a unique time,” said Nelson Curry, CBB chairman and Kentucky beef producer.  “We are dealing with a market that is extremely volatile due to export market closures following the December discovery of a single case of BSE in the U.S.  Beef checkoff dollars are being invested to address both the potential oversupply of certain products, and the high-demand for others.”  He continued, “Our goal is to keep all cuts of beef moving through the marketplace and to remind consumers of beef’s great taste and good value.”

The new summer radio and print advertising will supplement ongoing national television and print “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.®” advertising,  as well as reinforce an aggressive beef checkoff-funded grilling campaign that is already rolling out to America to prime the pump for increased beef sales all summer long.

The Taste of America Summer Grilling Promotion will celebrate the anniversary of the hamburger, which was reported to first make its public appearance at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.  Some 100 years later, the hamburger has earned a place as one of America's favorite traditions.

Dozens of marketing elements make up this checkoff-funded summer campaign.  Building on the success of the 2003 grilling effort, this summer’s campaign includes:

·         Advertising messages to consumers through television, radio and print ads;

·         Public relations and editorial efforts to extend the campaign’s reach;

·         Foodservice and retail promotions to leverage dollars.  For instance:

o              A retail “Cheeseburger Fingers” in-store demonstration will be conducted in 700 Wal-Mart stores this spring;

o              Spot market radio ads, tagged with retailer messages, will air in 43 populace consumer markets;

o              At retail locations and in two Sunday newspaper circulars to 42 million households each, A-1 Steak Sauce and Marinades from Kraft will offer $1-off coupons for beef with the purchase of sauce.  The coupon is funded by Kraft;

o              In support of the two A-1 Steak Sauce coupon inserts, radio promotions will run in 25 top consumer markets and a special 14-page insert in Midwest Living, produced with A-1 Steak Sauce, Bush’s Best beans and Char-Broil grills, will feature grilling recipes, tips and party planning ideas;

o              This Old House television show and Beringer Wines will be placing specially designed bottle-neck tags featuring beef recipes, coupons and sweepstakes offers on more than 800,000 bottles;

o              A flat iron steak promotion at hotel restaurants will reach travelers at more than 220 hotels in 48 states.  The flat iron -- itself a product of checkoff-funded new product development -- will be promoted in hotel room table displays, on room key card jackets, on posters in hotel lobbies and elevators and in menu inserts;

o              In a promotion with health and fitness connections, patrons who buy a "Fiesta Vida Salad" featuring taco-seasoned beef and a beverage at McDonald's during a four-week period this spring receive a pedometer.  Partners are the President's Challenge and American College of Sports Medicine;

o              Sutter Home Wines will reinvigorate its annual “Build a Better Burger” promotion with support from the Beef Checkoff Program;

o              And a new partnership with Borden Cheese will offer consumers a 55-cent instant coupon for ground beef when they purchase Borden singles.

·         Cross-promotions will use consumer magazine sweepstakes and Web site links to bring people to www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.  A bi-weekly e-newsletter called the "Dinner Bell” goes out to thousands of consumer subscribers with menu planning ideas, as well as recipes, shopping advice, nutritional information and other useful beef insights.

·         Youth-tested recipes, including three from the recent National Beef Cook-Off, will be featured.  Plus, an array of appetizing beef recipe photo features and inserts will be distributed to food magazines and newspapers reaching millions of hungry readers.

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee on April 5 approved the new elements to the summer promotion.  Final U.S. Department of Agriculture approval must be received prior to promotion implementation.

Research from last year’s summer grilling campaign shows that these types of promotions work.  “Last year’s promotion took place in a period of time -- May to Labor Day -- of reduced supplies and higher prices than the year before, yet beef dollar sales volume increased 3.4 percent, and grilling cuts sales volume increased 4.2 percent,” according to Randy Irion, NCBA director of retail marketing services.  “That certainly indicates that this campaign is helpful to cattle producers as they work to keep beef on Americans’ plates.”

State beef councils will again play a major role in the rollout of the campaign within their states and regions.  For more information about the 2004 Summer Grilling Promotion, visit www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.