2014 Beef Checkoff Annual Report | Page 9

Keeping Beef Top of Mind in the Northeast Targeting the heavy concentration of U.S. consumers in the Northeast, the checkoff invested in a “Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative” to increase communication with consumers and influencers. In FY14, this included hosting three farm tours — at Hedge Apple Farms and Gibbet Hill Cattle Company — for key retail, foodservice and nutrition influencers to bring participants face-to-face with producers. The checkoff also highlighted the importance of high-quality protein, like that found in lean beef, in diets of athletes by sharing beef’s nutrition messages with runners and onlookers at the 118th Boston Marathon and the 39th Marine Corps Marathon, with a combined audience of more than 200,000 consumers. Reaching Moms, Millennials and More The checkoff’s “Moms, Millennials and More” program hosted 10 creative social-media events in FY14, providing an easily accessible platform for moms and millennials to engage with grassroots beef producers. Participants asked questions about how beef is produced and shared their enjoyment of beef through pictures and recipes via Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. These activities registered more than 80 million social-media impressions, and an impressive 84 percent of participants surveyed after a Twitter Party said the experience improved their opinions about beef. “This booth is the most informative and useful place with stuff we can actually USE in this whole show! You teach things that are so useful for people who cook, like how to wrap meat and cut it. This booth is the best!” Educating Millennials about Ground Beef Given that market research finds older millennial parents purchasing ground beef more often than whole muscle cuts, the checkoff created a new Ground Beef section on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com to highlight the versatility and convenience of ground beef. The section features everything from quick-and-easy recipes to step-by-step instructions for thawing ground beef in less than five minutes, including a series of demonstration videos. Davis Denman Cortland OH Chuck Coffey Springer OK Terry Detrick Oklahoma City OK Barbara Jacques Shidler OK Brett Morris Ninnekah OK Terry Wyatt Hollister OK Joyce Bupp Seven Valleys Pat Venable Klamath Falls OR PA 2014 Jana Malot Harrisonville PA Beef Board Annual Report 9