Convenience and Nutrition Beef Commercials Planned For Early 2002

DENVER (December 21, 2001) – Beef comes to national television early in 2002 with convenience and nutrition commercials aimed at cable and network viewers. The goal is to continue building awareness among 25-54 year-old moms of new heat-and-serve products and the nutritional value of beef.

 Three TV schedules are planned for early in the new year, lasting three weeks each. In January, the convenience message will be emphasized. In March, both convenience and nutrition will be the focus. Commercials in May will highlight nutrition only.

 The commercials will air on popular shows such as “Ed,” “Judging Amy,” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” as well as cable programs like “Food TV” that are favored by the target audience. The commercials will run nearly 1,400 times in 2002 and will be seen by some-55 million women with children, about ten times each. This amounts to about 92 percent of U.S. women in the 25-54 age group.

Beef industry promotion and nutrition programs are funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff and are produced for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

 “National advertising is working well -- tracking studies show that 86 percent of consumers are now aware of the ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner’ advertising, an all-time high,” said Texas beef producer Linda Joy Stovall, chairman of the joint industry Advertising Committee. “Awareness of the new heat-and-serve products is up to 62 percent, which is quite high considering these products have been on the market for only a couple of years. Studies also show that women’s attitudes about the nutritional value of beef have been improving over the past couple of years.”

 The January commercials will be “Booster Seat” and “Grandma,” two television spots introduced earlier this year. Both contain elements that have proven successful for the beef industry, including Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo” music, actor Sam Elliot’s voice, and the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” theme.

 Stovall said commercials addressing the convenience of beef feature pot roast, beef tips, meat loaf and other hearty types of food especially popular in the winter months.

 Both 30-second commercials contain humorous scenes that show how convenient beef entrees fit today’s lifestyles. In “Booster Seat,” a teenager comes downstairs to eat with his family, finding his old booster seat in the chair. “Been a while since the whole family has been at the table?” the narrator asks, as the mother serves a quick-to-prepare beef meal.

 In the other commercial, a young boy is walking down the sidewalk when he detects an aroma he associates with his grandmother’s cooking. “Grandma,” he whispers as he sprints down the street to his house, where he finds his mother pulling a quick-to-fix pot roast out of the microwave.

 The national beef checkoff is administered by the CBB, a 110-member board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the $1-per-head checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement the provisions of the federal order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.

 Producer-directed and consumer-focused, NCBA is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the  marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.