Agricultural News
Beef Checkoff Focuses on the Millennials
Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:27:34 CST
While the base tagline is the same, "Beef, it's what's for dinner," the method of delivering that message to the consumer that most needs that information has changed a great deal since the early days of the establishment of the Beef Checkoff and adequate money to purchase a National TV schedule. Earlier this calendar year, the contractors that work with the Cattlemen's Beef Board began to look for the best agency partner that can take beef checkoff promotional dollars and effectively reach the very large generational market- the Millennials.
The Millennials are a generation that are "online" and can best be reached using a mix of some traditional media along with a large dose of social media. According to the Beef Board, this generation is incredibly important to the future of beef demand in the US for several reasons:
First of all, the millennial population in the United States is the largest generation, at 80 million strong, and is the most connected. In fact, forecasts indicate that this important generation of consumers (now between 20 and 34 years old) will outspend baby boomers by 2017, as household size and food spending decline among older generations. By 2020, millennial spending is expected to reach $1.4 trillion a year.
The children of millennials can be reached by their parents. Nearly half of babies in the United States have used a computer or mobile device before their second birthday. In general, millennial families with children ages 8 and younger have recorded a five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devises, such as iPads, from 8 percent of all families in 2011 to an astounding 40 percent in 2013. In addition, the percentage of children with access to some type of "smart" mobile device, such as smart phones or tablets, at home has jumped from 52 percent to 75 percent in just two years.
There is a concern that millennials, who are just entering child-bearing years, currently are reducing the amount of beef that they serve to their kids. This could have negative long-term repercussions if the beef industry does not respond with solid, science-based information about beef that would make this generation more inclined to increase consumption of it.
All of this translates to tremendous opportunities for the Beef Checkoff Program, because millennials are a growing generation, with growing families and growing influence, who will make beef-buying decisions for the next 40-plus years. That's why the beef checkoff program has invested in important market research to get to know this generation and guide development and delivery of important beef information to them. In short, the checkoff is adjusting its beef promotion and education programs to fit the millennial bill.
On today's Beef Buzz, we hear from Melissa Slagle, Trade Media Manager for the Beef Board, about the need to both reach the millennials and also to let producers know about those efforts.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...