April 18, 2008

 

This week: WHAT HAS THE CHECKOFF’S PROMOTION PROGRAM AREA DONE FOR ME LATELY?

 

PROMOTION, as defined in the Beef Promotion & Research Act, means any action, including paid advertising, to advance the image and desirability of beef and beef products with the express intent of improving the competitive position and stimulating sales of beef and beef products in the marketplace.

 

New Veal Cuts Hit the Market – The word is out, and the new cuts of veal developed through the checkoff are hitting the marketplace! Several State Beef Councils are helping implement the Veal Go to Market program, including the Nevada Beef Council, which introduced them at the Restaurant Show in Las Vegas Feb. 26-27; the New York Beef Industry Council, which showcased them March 9-11; the Wisconsin Beef Council, which unveiled them at the Wisconsin Restaurant Show March 10-12. In addition, several articles about the new cuts will be appearing in foodservice trade publications, among them the National Culinary Review produced by the American Culinary Federation. Finally, a 2008 Veal Media Event is set for June 25-26 at Kendall College in Chicago. That will feature a national culinary competition with six Celebrity Chef teams using the new cuts. For more information about veal promotion, go to www.vealstore.com.

 

San Francisco in 2009 - The American National CattleWomen this week announced that that San Francisco will be the destination city location for the 2009 National Beef Cook-Off®. The San Francisco market will provide excellent media opportunities: It is a top media market and is host to numerous large media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, five local TV affiliates and a number of food-oriented outlets. And it’s a huge food city. While a specific date has not yet been scheduled, it will be in fall 2009. For more information about the National Beef Cook-Off, go to http://www.ancw.org/Content/CookOff.aspx.

 

Beefscapes Making Big Impact: Look for the Beef Checkoff-funded “Beefscapes” print advertising across a wide variety of popular national publications in April and May 2008, including: Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, Health, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Parents, Family Circle, Better Homes & Gardens, People and Sports Illustrated.  In addition to featuring our print advertising, many publications also provide The Beef Checkoff with bonus space to further engage and communicate with readers, including space to showcase appetizing beef recipes, product photos and supplementary information about the healthfulness of beef. In the May 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, for example, the beef checkoff is the exclusive sponsor of the magazine’s highly regarded and utilized “Menu Planner” – a pull-and-save insert that provides readers with a recipe for each day of the week, as well as shopping lists and other tips. The “Menu Planner” section of this magazine has proven to be a reader favorite and one of its most effective ad placements. The “Menu Planner” itself features two beef checkoff ads and a two-page spread of lean beef protein information and three beef recipes. To view the “Beefscapes” print campaign, go to http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/askexpert/default.asp.

 

Hands on New Beef Cuts – On Monday, April 21, 18 trendsetting chefs will go hands-on with new cuts from the chuck roll. Supported and endorsed by Food Arts magazine, this marks the first in a series of five regional checkoff workshops, this one at the Seattle Culinary Academy. The guest list was developed in collaboration with the Washington State Beef Commission, Oregon Beef Council, Montana Beef Council, and Food Arts. Chef facilitator for the workshops is Steve Schimoler of Crop Bistro in Cleveland, Ohio. http://www.cropbistro.com/shareCrop.html. Other workshops are planned in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami.

 

Foodservice in Season – Anticipating summer menu developments, beef cover stories anchored the March 1 and March 15 editions of “R&I” (Restaurants & Institutions) magazine. To access the articles, go http://www.rimag.com/archives/2008/ and click on the March 1 or March 15 magazine cover.

 

Celebrity Chef Unveils New Beef Ribs – Sponsored by the beef checkoff, celebrity chef Casey Thompson will present the new (chuck eye) Boneless Country-style Beef Ribs to more than 650 foodservice industry leaders at the Food Arts “SOS BBQ” during the National Restaurant Association’s annual convention and trade show. An invitation only event, the SOS barbecue is always the hottest ticket in town during NRA. For more information, go to http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-topchef_0927gl.ART.State.Edition1.42ce1b5.html

 

 

 

 

*If you would like to be added or deleted from the distribution list for “Checking in on the Checkoff,” please send a quick note to Diane at dhenderson@beefboard.org.