Consumer Insights
Beef Checkoff Program highlights consumer insights and new ‘Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner’ campaign.
The digital explosion is helping inspire beef consumption. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) staff explained the immense market research that went into the revamping of the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner (BIWFD) website and advertising campaign. They spoke to attendees of the NCBA Market Research — Consumer Insights Session during the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Ariz.
The use of mobile devices makes up two-thirds of all time spent online, shared Colleen Moore. Social media and video viewing are the two most popular online activities.
With this in mind, Shawn Darcy explained that before its launch, the new BIWFD website and the Rethink the Ranch video went through significant market research. The research included more than 7,000 consumer interviews, 200 in-depth interviews, online forums and focus groups.
The video’s ending and the narrator voice are strong. People are intrigued to learn who is behind the message. The website helped bring cohesiveness to the brand and, overall, both left a very positive message and remind consumers who cattlemen are, Darcy explained.
The new branding and logos also had strong positive reactions. The checkoff’s logo with the checkmark now has “funded by beef farmers and ranchers” as part of the logo, which resonated more with consumers.
Regarding the website, one focus group participant jokingly likened it to a mullet, saying there’s business in the front (recipes, cooking, credible sources), but has the party in the back with stories on ranchers and more information. Content was easy to find, and it improved the perceptions of beef.
The Rethink the Ranch video is 90 seconds long, and generated a strong emotional response that actually increased during the entirety of the ad. There was no trail-off in the middle or the end, Darcy noted. Consumers seemed to show the most interest in technology scenes, nutrition and happy cattle scenes, and family scenes were a great way to finish on a high note. Interestingly, Darcy added that there weren’t any spikes of disinterest in packing scenes.
Additionally, Darcy shared that new marketing on the horizon includes virtual reality (VR360) experiences, which are already in market testing.
Editor’s Note: This article was written as part of Angus Media’s coverage of the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention.