Page 22 - WCA December Ketch Pen 2020

Same Question
New Twist
By: Patti Brumbach, WSBC
Every now and then, I am asked why the Beef Commission only targets consumers in Western Washington. It is not a new question and it is one that has been considered by the Beef Commission board regularly over the years. The question resurfaced again last month only this time, the geo-political rift in our state is playing a role in producer concern over spending their limited Beef Checkoff resources in Western Washington. You know, with the people that control the state and do not understand agriculture. We get that and felt it was a good time to share our strategy.
The reality is that there are 7.6 million potential beef consumers in Washington State and, yes, over 60% reside in the Seattle metropolitan area. Many of these consumers have never met a bovine or even traveled to Eastern Washington. This makes them highly vulnerable to misinformation about the impact of your business on the environment and the health of their family and friends. Politics aside, they still comprise a large majority of beef consumers in our state.
Furthermore, the Beef Commission’s $1.1 million in- state budget provides very limited resources to reach those consumers. That is why we have to target your resources where they can do the most good. Based on consumer market research, our producer board of directors has determined that targeting millennial parents in Western Washington is the sweet spot. Generally speaking, this
is the group that is raising the next generation of beef consumers and they want to understand how to cook beef and feel good about making beef the preferred protein choice for their families.
Breaking down our advertising further, you will find that we invest in addressing our consumers’ primary concerns about beef. Fifty percent of our advertising budget focuses on building trust in modern beef production and Washington’s beef farmers and ranchers. Our second priority is to educate consumers how to cook delicious beef as this information is no longer passed on from generation to generation and – let’s face it, beef can
be daunting for many consumers. Finally, we work to dispel the myth that beef is bad for your health.
This does not mean that we only fund programs that reach millennial consumers in Western Washington.
In fact, there is always spill over to a broader group
of consumers when purchasing digital advertising in
our state. We fund Beef Counts television advertising
all summer long in Spokane and our St. Patrick’s Day promotion ran in all Safeway and Albertson’s stores
across the state. This Holiday Season consumers will see advertising statewide on the Hallmark television channel featuring the Holiday Drool Log – a mouthwatering prime rib crackling on a rotisserie. Grocery stores statewide will also be promoting $15 off when purchasing a prime rib and two bottles of Louis M. Martini wine. The effort will be supported with digital advertising statewide.
The end game is really that of reaching as many likely beef consumers as possible, as often as possible with compelling messages that encourage them to buy beef more often. We do that by helping them understand that beef deserves its place on their table by dispelling the myths that beef is bad for the environment, that you treat your animals inhumanely and that beef is bad for your health.
Over the years, we have also heard from many producers reminding us that the Beef Commission should not “sing to the choir.” They don’t want us to advertise to them, because they already eat beef. They want their hard- earned dollars focused on reaching the very people who love beef but have questions and need answers before they place that extra steak in their shopping cart.
For more information about your Beef Checkoff investment, call us at 206.444.2902 or e-mail me at pbrumbach@wabeef.org. Visit wabeef.org or beefitswhatsfordinner.com to learn more about other Checkoff-funded programs. Follow this and all our activities targeting millennial consumers on social media at Facebook. com/WABeef, Twitter@wabeef, YouTube@WABeef, Instagram@WABeefLove or Pinterest@wabeef.
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Ketch Pen www.washingtoncattlemen.org
December 2020