The Brundidge Rotarians got the message loud and clear at their Wednesday meeting,
“Eat more beef!”
Erin Beasley, director of consumer marketing for the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, was the program guest of Rotarian Ed Whatley. She spoke highly of the product she markets.
However, marketing methods have changed drastically in recent years and in ways that are not familiar to many of the Rotarians.
Beasley said the primary focus of the marketing of beef is now directed at people who have influence in the meat market and through social media.
“Dieticians, culinary arts students, hospitality and restaurant managers all have an influence on the highly competitive meat market,” Beasley said and, laughingly added that chicken nuggets are tough competition.
“The people who are saying that chicken tastes better than steak are frying it and dipping it,” she said. “There’s nothing like the taste of a good steak.”
And, that’s the message that the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association wants to get out to the masses.
“But we don’t have enough money to touch everybody [with a national promotional campaign],” Beasley said. “So we are directing our efforts toward generational groups.”
Once these groups are tapped, they will send the message, “Beef. That’s what for dinner.”
Beasley said a targeted group, the Millennium Group, is made up of ages 16 through 38.
The Millennials are getting married and having children and, when they serve beef, we are getting two generations at once, the parents and the kids.”
The Millennials number 80 million and 97 percent of them have computers, 94 percent have cell phones, 50 percent have “smart” phones and 50 percent get their information from websites, Beasley said.
“If we are not speaking through the social media, what are people saying about us,” she said.
“The way we can reach large numbers of people is through the social media.”
If a dad is blogging about the great rib eye steak he had for dinner or a mom is putting a beef recipe on Facebook, that has a far-reaching impact, Beasley said.
“The social media is a great way to get people talking about beef,” she said.
“And, it’s a great way for the Alabama Cattlemen to get the message out there that beef really is what’s for dinner.”