I grew up on a cow-calf, farmer-feeder, row crop operation near Gladbrook, Iowa. I graduated from Iowa State, becoming the beef farms senior manager in the university’s department of animal science in 2013. I also started my own cow herd and became involved in the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association – the group that eventually nominated me for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).
Today, I’m a CBB member, as well as a member of the Beef Checkoff’s Safety and Innovation Committee. You may have guessed by that committee’s name that we’re tasked with trying to ensure beef safety – but that’s only part of what we do. We also promote innovative online marketing, packaging and shipping solutions. Our committee is tasked with finding new ways to promote underutilized beef cuts and new variety meat products.
Since I joined that committee, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the many ways the checkoff works hard to reach consumers and give them a quality beef-eating experience. One prime example is how the checkoff-funded "Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner." Channel Marketing Program promotes beef through retail stores, distributors, manufacturers and restaurants. By building relationships with these channels and supply chain operators, the Beef Checkoff can effectively target and engage with customers directly where they shop and dine.
Food service engagement
One way the checkoff does that is by providing the food service industry with high-value educational content about beef. The bimonthly Beef News Now newsletter goes out to more than 4,300 food service professionals, sharing the latest food service and retail news, trends and hot topics and promotes educational webinars on topics like beef sustainability and retail consumer insights.
The education doesn’t stop there. Beef University modules teach food service pros how to select and prepare various beef cuts, helping them deliver superior dishes that keep their customers coming back. These modules also offer information about how beef is raised, as well as its health and nutritional benefits so that they can feel good about putting beef on their menus.
Other types of food service engagement include events like the Performance Food Service (PFS) Protein Summit where the Channel Marketing Team shares beef insights and trends, arming protein specialists with information and resources they can use with their top beef customers. Restaurants and manufacturing partners can also look to the checkoff-funded "Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner." Culinary Center for help with menu development, current trends and market insights and new cuts and cooking methods.
Impressive e-commerce results
E-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace, and that’s another way the Beef Checkoff is partnering with national grocery and restaurant chains across the U.S. These partnerships meet consumers at their purchasing decision points and drive measurable results. The Channel Marketing Team can track a consumer from the time they’re exposed to a beef advertisement to the time they make a purchase, showing a direct return on investment. In 2023, every $1 the checkoff invested in e-commerce campaigns delivered an impressive average return of $47 in beef sales.
An e-commerce campaign with a national club store delivered an even higher return on investment, with $18 million in incremental beef sales. This campaign delivered an average return on ad sales of $93. This means that, on average, every $1 invested resulted in $93 in beef sales. You can’t argue with results like that.
Other e-commerce campaigns are more focused on specific topics like health and wellness and timed accordingly. A campaign during American Heart Month, “Lean Beef. Smart For Your Heart,” featured ads seen by consumers shopping on retailer websites and mobile apps, as well as on popular websites like weather.com, today.com and more. Campaign results showed that 26% of the ad-exposed buyers were new and had not purchased beef from the retailer in the past year, demonstrating the inspirational power of e-commerce.
Listen and learn
My current role at Iowa State gives me an interesting take on our industry’s future. Our students bring a fun, new, fresh perspective to everything. However, sometimes they need to be reminded about the past so they can better understand how to move forward. Working with them is much like being part of a committee. You must listen to others’ viewpoints, even when you disagree with them or believe they’re inaccurate, but still find ways to effectively communicate.
Much like I must listen to my students and my fellow checkoff committee members, the beef industry must continue listening to consumers. Applying this customer-oriented approach can guide us through the industry’s current and future challenges, ensuring beef is not only safe to eat but is also viewed as a delicious, high-quality protein.
Every day, consumers must decide where to spend their money. In turn, we, the beef industry, are responsible for gaining their trust and their purchases through sustainable production practices, an appealing product, channel education and targeted promotions. By supporting the Beef Checkoff’s efforts, we producers can hold up our end of the bargain and help our industry continue to thrive.
