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Building on the success of its "Beef Made Easy"(TM) program,the cattle industry is using consumer market research to further increase the convenience of shopping for beef. The "Convenience Continuity Program: fine-tunes an existing consumer marketing program by using the latest research to zero in on target areas and introducing strategies that can be readily adopted by retailers, according to Alan Hess, vice chairman of the industry's Joint Retail Committee and a cattleman. "This may be the most concentrated retail program ever using checkoff dollars by combining brand partnerships, public relations, advertising and retail marketing, and by concentrating on a more limited number of markets." The "Beef Made Easy" program was designed to make shopping for beef easier by grouping fresh beef according to cooking method and providing on-pack cooking instructions. Color-coded merchandising tools and consumer brochures give the meat case a consumer friendly feel which the industry hopes will boost beef demand. The program is geared toward establishing a more prominent and permanent location in the store for convenient beef products. The program includes advertising, public relations and retail point-of-sale materials. "Consumer market research helps the industry define and focus on what was once a broad target audience of women ages 25 to 54 who have children." Hess said. "We now are focusing on three segments of the market that research indicates are strong potential users of convenient beef products." Market demographics were used in combination with the research to identify three metropolitan areas that skewed high in each of the three targeted market segments. The markets include Chicago (families with children), Dallas (young/small households) and Charlotte (empty nesters). An extensive marketing plan has been developed for each market. Nine additional markets will involve in-store activity only. Studies have shown that consumer demand is affected by shopping convenience. While 68 percent of consumers are aware of these products, only 35 percent know where to locate them in a store. Such studies allow the beef industry to use a more focused approach to increase the convenience of shopping for beef. © |
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