Weird

[grassfarmer]

Sorry to be argumentative again Randy but I just had
to comment on the latest ABP Grassroots magazine.
Apparently they have launched a promotion campaign
to promote Alberta beef to Alberta consumers.
One picture it shows is to be used on billboards and
bus shelters. It depicts a classic scene from Venice
with a kissing couple in a gondola with a bridge and
some old buildings in the background. The gondola
has the "I love AB longhorns" sticker on it and the
caption "Famous taste. Right at home" is at the
bottom of the picture.
So how does that relate to Alberta consumers and
why they should be consuming Alberta beef at home?
Weird..... glad my checkoff dollars aren't funding it.

[rkaiser]

I don't think any one who posts on Agriville is not argumentative GF..LOL

Alberta Beef? Maybe they do have some in Venice; now that our friend Boverie (sp) has applied for a license to ship beef as well as horse meat to the EU from his plant.

As for Alberta beef being served by the boys that ABP supports and advertises for? Show me where. even with our identification system, they can guarantee "Alberta" nothing.

I somehow wish some consumer group would sue ABP for false advertising.

[smcgrath76]

I sometimes think that the advertising
efforts at home are more to show local
cowboys they are doing something than to
sell beef to Albertans.
And besides, everyone knows Alberta beef
is really SK and MB calves that are fed
in feedlot alley and killed in Brooks or
High River...

More to the point, I am not certain that
the Alberta or Canada approach is the
right method to market beef. I think
examples like Tallgrass or Blue Goose or
even Prairie Heritage with a clear
expression of brand attributes and
differing/unique value propositions are
a better way to go.

[rkaiser]

You bet Sean, and within those groups, the Canadian or American brand has value. The broad spectrum approach of ABP is simply weird as GF says. 9 years now that second to none meats has been selling Canadian Celtic and Prairie Heritage beef and the only way an ABP rep has entered the buildings has been with me holding one of their hands. And then they never come back. LOL.

Don't know of another industry in the world where the packer, wholesale and retail sectors get free advertising paid for by producers. They gotta smile about it though. Who would not?

Cheers R

[wilagro]

The recipes offered on the site are really not too useful either.

Take a look at them and see what you think. Its BBQ season and what is shown?...exotic recipes for Asian style cooking.

[gaucho]

Apparently it is not just producer dollars they are using... ALMA kicked in just over a million!.... We had approached them to see if we could leverage some of their dollars on ours for sending producers to do in stores demos and promo on Vancouver Island a month back and use the Alberta Beef story as a sub category / Attribute of our brand since 90% of our cattle are bred, born, Fed and killed in Alberta.... they had no money. They said their focus was Alberta... my response was that marketing beef to Albertan's is like marketing the oil biz is good for Alberta... in other words people are already convinced... Yes its all about an organization trying to self justify themselves.

[loric]

Good morning everyone,

I just wanted to weigh in a little on the new campaign.
I can tell you this wasn't thrown together willy nilly
thinking if we toss something at consumers it might
stick. There was extensive market and consumer
research done before this campaign was even a mere
thought. The way Alberta beef in depicted is a direct
result of what the female consumer/shopper is
looking for when she buys protein for her family at
the grocery store.

After the campaign is finished, beef consumption will
be measured to see how much it has increased since
before the campaign began.

I'm not a market researcher - only a messenger, but
there are reasons for every part of the campaign and
each part is necessary to reach the consumer with the
ultimate goal of increasing meat consumption.

[grassfarmer]

I didn't think it had been thrown together in your
back office Lori lol. Still paying big money to an ad
agency is no guarantee of success either - there have
been some spectacular failures stemming from their
ideas on occasion.
That's why I was really perplexed by the Italian
connection with the gondola promoting AB beef to
Albertans. I just don't get it.

[wilagro]

Italy has no shortage of nice "double-muscled" beef...why would they even want any Alberta beef? I guess the message to Albertans is that word is spread all over the world about our wonderful beef so it is available to everyone. Just keep with the check-off dollars and don't apply for a refund either as we know what to do with it.

[loric]

Grassfarmer.... the gondola reference was to
showcase how the bumper sticker and AB beef is
famous around the world. It's the first in what will
hopefully be a series of references down the road.

And you are right....there is never a guarantee that a
campaign will be successful. However, we are doing
everything in our power to make sure this one is. It's
targeted to the female consumer - not the male beef
producer. It's also part of a larger marketing plan. We
have a tasting truck that is serving literally thousands
of pounds of Alberta Beef across the province this
summer. We are trying to get into the minds of
consumers to showcase our famous taste and flavour.

[comtex]

I am not sure that taste and flavor, other than the BBQ sauce that we put on our beef will be anything special to the consumer...

[rkaiser]

I think that the taste and flavor can be different. Outside the conventional system.

And maybe ABP is actually supporting the majority with their advertising campaigns. After all, the large majority of beef grown in this province is fed and raised conventionally and most producers probably applaud any advertising they see, even if it is supporting system that I will never to be a fully integrated interdependent chain.

Ahh Freedom Lori. I think that ABP will miss your creativity and will have a very hard time filling your shoes.

All the best in your new ventures and please do come back and keep us in line on Agrivile from time to time.

[rkaiser]

Oh yes, I almost forgot to ask. Where is ABP getting it's "Alberta Beef" to serve to the housewives this summer? LOL

[loric]

Randy - let me find out. I know I was told but I can't
recall. I will get back to you all on that!