DENVER (February 8, 2002) - U.S. beef producers will be delivering messages o...
DENVER (February 8, 2002) - U.S. beef producers will be delivering messages of safety, taste and nutrition directly to Japanese consumers starting in early March, U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Philip Seng told cattlemen here today.
Seng said the campaign will be paid for by reprioritizing existing programs in Japan and through special contributions of beef producers through their beef checkoff, state corn and soybean checkoffs and associations, packers, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and others in the industry who do business in Japan. Seng said while USMEF had set $8 million as the goal of the campaign, it is urgent that U.S. industry begin speaking more directly to consumers as soon as possible, even though the full amount is not available.
"While USMEF continues to seek additional funding, we plan to launch the campaign with commitments in hand - about $4.7 million - to begin delivering our message," Seng told the Beef Industry Joint International Markets Committee. He added that the campaign approach developed by USMEF provides building blocks on which additional advertising and public relations efforts can easily be built.
"Our new effort - we're calling it our 'Aisareru beef,' or desire beef, campaign - will target moms with children living at home. Our immediate objective will be to generate consumer confidence in U.S. beef, then build intent to buy and use it. The next step will be to build desire for U.S. beef as a vital and accepted ingredient of the Japanese diet. Longer term," Send said, "we want U.S. beef identified as safe, nutritious, delicious and healthy." This theme will be carried to retail outlets and restaurants through coordinated trade activities, Seng noted.
Japanese housewives told researchers that they'd especially like to hear from providers about how they grow and process the beef they produce. To fulfill this need, Seng said advertisements will feature U.S. women - who are wives and mothers but also part of the industry - telling the production and processing story. The same women will appear in newspaper, magazine and television ads, with the storyline developed a little further in each medium. Public relations events and activities will support advertising, which will run through September. Seng said that USMEF market research found that women in the target audience tended to believe factual information delivered by television. USMEF TV ads, therefore, will be placed in popular weekend programming and will be in a 90-second infomercial format.
"One of the problems we had to wrestle with was this: some wanted us to spend all of the dollars available for this effort in one or two months. They were suggesting what the Japanese call "hanabi," or fireworks, something that happens once and then is gone. This may have had short term impact, but would not have delivered the long-term effect we needed in the form Japanese women told us they'd believe. In addition, should another food safety problem arise in Japan, we would have no options left. On the other hand, the campaign strategy we've chosen should work to help us achieve short- and long-term objectives."
Seng also noted that the campaign would not be about safety alone. "We believe strongly, and we believe science has shown, that beef should be part of a balanced and healthful diet," Seng said. "Our campaign, therefore, will include food education, or "shoku iku" in Japanese, as well. We will provide science-based nutrition news to help consumers better understand the role beef plays in providing the zinc, iron, protein and B-vitamins their families need to remain strong and healthy."
"We know that Japanese housewives - just like those here in America - have a responsibility to protect their family's health. But they also have the right to learn and understand facts about the beef they eat, to know how it is grown and processed, and to understand the commitment of U.S. growers and processors to beef quality and safety," Seng said.
Japan is the No. 1 U.S. beef export market. While final USDA statistics for 2001 won't be available until later this month, Japanese Ministry of Agriculture figures show that U.S. imports were down 11 percent in volume from the record year of 2000. High U.S. beef prices and demand combined with a strong dollar against the yen and a weak Japanese economy to push U.S. imports lower prior to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the Japanese herd in September. Since September, all imports have been down sharply as Japanese consumption dropped 30 to 50 percent at both retail and restaurant levels. While there has been recently a slight recovery in consumption, large stocks of chilled and frozen beef remain in inventory and first quarter sales by U.S. exporters are reportedly running 30 to 35 percent below levels of a year ago.
Through November 2001, USDA statistics indicate total U.S. beef exports declined by 7 percent in volume to about 1.05 million metric tons. Value declined 11 percent, to $2.9 billion, which likely reflects improved sales of less expensive cuts and variety meats through export. Still, exports account for nearly 13 percent of U.S. beef production on a wholesale weight basis.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.
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