Domestic trade and consumer promotion

Domestic consumer expenditure on red meat (beef, lamb and mutton) grew by $480 million* in 2006-07 – a pleasing result with benefits that flow throughout the red meat industry.

Kids love Beef

In October last year, MLA launched an advertising campaign aimed specifically at increasing domestic demand for beef – the first in seven years and a direct result of the increased cattle transaction levy. Consumer response to the retail activity in the ‘Bring out the beef’ campaign was positive, however research indicated the TV commercial was not achieving our goals. We quickly revised this component of the campaign and relaunched in February 2007 with the ‘Kids love Beef’ TV commercials, supported by a range of popular point-of-sale materials.

Data collected around the ‘Kids love Beef’ campaign showed that sales of beef grew from 39.6 million servings a week prior to campaign launch (January-February 2007) to 40.5 million servings a week post-campaign (April-May 2007).Ö

We love our Lamb

Spring 2006 saw the return of the successful ‘Lâmb’ commercial, first launched for Mother’s Day 2006. Its cheeky parody on women’s fragrance advertising helped drive lamb servings to 25.6 million serves a week in September-October 2006, up 2 million serves a week from September-October 2005.§

The third Australia Day campaign featuring Sam Kekovich again made lamb the talk of the nation. This year’s ‘Vote Lamb’ campaign for the ‘Australia Day Party’ generated additional publicity valued at $4.9 million. More importantly, the campaign helped drive lamb servings to peak at 27.6 million per week in February – a 15% increase on weekly lamb serves in February 2006.”

Due to drought-induced restrictions on lamb supply, there was no TV advertising for this year’s Mother’s Day lamb campaign. Instead, point-of-sale material, shopping centre advertisements, press advertising and PR activities continued to promote lamb as ‘The perfect gift for Mother’s Day’. While lamb servings during this promotional period were down year-on-year, lamb’s share of household meat purchases remained stable at 19.4% for May compared to last year.

Foundation Food

Our nutrition program focuses on promoting the nutritional benefits of red meat as part of a healthy eating plan, and provides a factual and credible defence against adverse health and nutrition reports.

Again boosted by increased funds from the new cattle transaction levy, the ‘Red meat: we were meant to eat it’ promotion continued as part of the wider ‘Red Meat. Feel Good.’ campaign. Actor Sam Neill returned to front TV advertisements reinforcing that it is our innate inclination towards red meat consumption and the nutritional benefits derived from eating red meat. TV advertising in July 2006 was supported by magazine advertising in October and November and a third TV commercial in the series, ‘Meerkats’, was broadcast in February 2007, achieving positive results and assisting in the overall increase in demand for red meat throughout the year.

Ongoing marketing of the nutritional benefits of red meat plays an integral role in shifting attitudes towards red meat and ensuring the viability of the red meat industry. For this reason we invest in a range of research programs into red meat and its role in a healthy diet.

One of these studies led to the development of the ‘Teenage Anti-Acne Diet’. In a world first, research conducted by RMIT University found a low glycaemic-load diet high in red meat and natural, minimally processed foods, helps reduce symptoms of teenage acne.

The ‘Anti-Acne Diet’ was produced and distributed to 600,000 readers of the Australian Women’s Weekly and 12,000 healthcare practitioners. It succeeded in putting red meat on the agenda with doctors and consumers as a means of improving skin health and providing excellent nutritional benefits, reinforced by the stamp of approval given to the diet by the Australian College of Dermatologists.

Following the outstanding success of The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, based on research funded by MLA that recommended 200g of lean red meat four times a week as part of a healthy eating plan, The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2 was launched. The new book mirrored the success of the previous edition, immediately jumping onto the best-seller list and reiterating the importance of red meat in the diet as an essential source of nutrition.

Trade – changing with the times

In response to growing concerns about food safety and integrity, and sparked apparently by the obesity crisis, mums are reasserting control over their families’ food consumption, limiting snacks and preparing meals from scratch with fresh ingredients†. Further evidence of this trend is the turnaround in market share of specialist food retailers, particularly butchers and produce stores.

These changes make it all the more important for us to ensure red meat is in the mindset of consumers when deciding on their evening meal, and our work in the foodservice and retail sectors aims to do just that. This year we continued to produce the highly regarded Chef’s Special magazine – a quarterly publication designed to inspire thousands of chefs and foodservice professionals to utilise a wider range of red meat products and cuts on their menus. We also ensure red meat has a strong presence at major foodservice trade shows and young chef development programs.

Our Red Meat Networking Club for retail butchers continues to grow, with 1,300 members or around 40% of Australia’s butchers now involved in activities and initiatives to raise retailing standards.

In a bid to increase carcase utilisation we conducted three butcher workshops to develop new value added concepts. The outcomes of these ‘beef boot camps’ have been successfully trialled in 25 retail outlets and a manual containing the products has been compiled and released through a number of follow-up workshops. We are also partnering with major supermarkets in developing new products to meet the particular opportunities and constraints that apply in this sector.

* Source: data from ABS, ABARE, DAFF
** Source: Millward Brown
Ö Source: Roy Morgan – Australian Meat Purchasing Data (May 2007)
§ Source: Roy Morgan – Australian Meat Purchasing Data (October 2006)
“ Source: Roy Morgan – Australian Meat Purchasing Data (May 2007)
† Source: Julie Dang & Associates Research (March 2007)
Roy Morgan – Meal habits in Australia (July 2007)