Beef Checkoff Set To Launch New Advertising Campaign

by The Beef Checkoff Program
Posted: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 5:42PM EST

Terri Carstensen, beef producer from Odebolt, Iowa, and chairman of the industry’s Joint Advertising Committee, recently led producers in a discussion about the new beef checkoff advertising approach, called “Profiles,” including reviewing and discussing recent consumer market research, new print concepts and radio spot scripts. The new campaign, which continues to build on the popular “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” tagline and slated to debut this summer, focuses consumer attention on specific cuts (e.g., T-bone, top sirloin) and communicates that these cuts not only taste great, but are lean and powerful sources of protein too.

Carstensen gives us a preview of the ad campaign.

“We’re really excited about this new campaign. It was time to look and to maybe have a fresh, new idea that would appeal to the consumers and also appeal to the producers that we have. Also with the new campaign, we found out that the consumers are looking for the words lean and high in protein. So that’s kind of what our new campaign is focused on. And we’re also talking about how we have 29 lean cuts of beef. We did consumer focus groups and that was new news to them and so we’re really going to be focusing on the 29 lean cuts .” (37 seconds)

Importantly, this “new news” works to compel consumers to take action – including visiting the Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.com Web site to “learn more about the other lean cuts” and to investigate the specific cuts at retail, now that consumers understand that the cuts that they already love are actually good for them too. Carstensen says the campaign has various components to the media plan.

“We’re going to have print in our magazines, and we’re going to have billboard, and we’re also going to be using radio. Our target audience is the 24 to 54 year of age that we have found through research that that’s who our target audience should be .” (14 seconds)

Since advertising is one of the key elements in increasing beef demand, Carstensen says beef producers can be proud that their checkoff dollars are going to support this new advertising campaign.

“Our message to producers is that it’s fresh and it’s crisp and it’s contemporary and it’s to the point. And, we’re going to be using mouth-watering, succulent photography. It’s going to be really exciting.” (12 seconds)

Weldon Wynn, beef producer from Star City, Ark., and vice chairman of the advertising committee, also communicated that producers should appreciate the direction their leadership has taken this campaign. They listened to producer feedback, and responded accordingly with new, creative messaging.

“Well, the producers are going to be really proud of this campaign and the reason why they’re going to be proud of it is because we’re trying to meet their needs, meet their wants, and we’re going to do that this time around. This is the way we get our message out to the countryside.” (14 seconds)

For information on other efforts being funded with your beef checkoff investment, visit www.MyBeefCheckoff.com.

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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

Source: The Beef Checkoff Program