Beginning in January, beef checkoff advertising targeted consumers who already love beef. The $13.4 million campaign, which runs on network and cable television programs, is reinforcing their belief that beef is enjoyable.

The campaign is designed to increase beef consumption and demand among this population segment, identified as adults between the ages of 25 and 54. As in recent campaigns, the ads will feature actor Sam Elliott's voice, the "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" tagline and the "Rodeo" music by composer Aaron Copland.

"Consumers have come to recognize and look forward to the sounds and themes surrounding our beef advertising," said beef producer Linda Joy Stovall of El Campo, Texas, chairman of the industry's joint committee on advertising. "These new ads fuel the passion people have for our product, using these tried and true components to boost their effectiveness." ©