In new and innovative campaign strategies, the Beef Checkoff is finding unique and edgy ways to reach tech-savvy consumers.

Amanda Radke

April 24, 2019

3 Min Read
North American Meat Institute
North American Meat Institute

At a time where faux meat companies are paying millions of dollars to smear beef’s reputation with consumers, our industry needs to work double time to counteract the lies and remain at the center of consumers’ dinner plates.

On the outlook, beef remains quite popular with consumers, and domestic and export demand is robust. However, there is always more we can do as an industry to stay ahead of these emerging protein alternatives. And a good place to start is with new and unique beef product campaigns.

The Beef Checkoff is doing a tremendous job of just that. With our dollar investment, we are seeing some pretty incredible and innovative things in the works.

For starters, there’s Chuck Knows Beef. An intuitive app compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, the program allows consumers to ask Chuck questions about recipes, cuts, nutrition, cooking tips and a whole lot more.

The virtual assistant brings the “knowledge of the rancher, the expertise of the chef and the humor of a dad” into the kitchen while enhancing the iconic “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” brand.  Chuck can offer tips for selecting beef cuts, and even text your grocery list for the beef recipe you want to prepare for dinner.

Give it a test run. Ask Chuck anything about beef and see if you can stump him. Click here to discover Chuck Knows Beef.

Related:Opinion: Bipartisan bills threatens to undermine commodity checkoffs

Then there’s Beefshi — a new take on traditional sushi that incorporates beef products and unique flavors that foodies will love.

In March, Beefshi was featured in New York City’s Times Square, thanks to the efforts of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

In a 2019 campaign, NAMI has launched a series of “new fusion-food concept” Beefshi recipes that feature beef products such as bologna, summer sausage, corned beef and pastrami.

The Time’s Square promotion included the tag line, “Your Sushi is Getting Beef Up!” and featured stunning photographs of Beefshi with the link to the beefshi.com website.

“Americans have always loved beef, and over the past few decades, their love of sushi has catapulted,” said Eric Mittenthal, vice president of public affairs at NAMI, in a press release. “In fact, sushi is one of the fastest-growing categories in supermarket deli departments.”

According to NAMI, “Last year during the retail-focused Annual Meat Conference, hundreds of retailers sampled three Beefshi recipes, and 55 completed a short survey that captured their reactions. Overall, 95% of those who tried the Beefshi creations liked them, while half of the retailers said they would make sense at the supermarket.”

Related:Survey: 80% say checkoff drives demand for beef

NAMI worked with multiple state beef councils and a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America to develop Beefshi recipes, which include savory delights such as the Double BLT Mega Roll, Potato Stick Crunch Maki, Taco Maki, Dansk Roll, Beefy Cali Roll, St. Paul Handrool, Inside-Out Wisconsin Maki, New York Deli Roll, Carolina Sushi, Sleeping Dog Sushi and the Reuben Roll, just to name a few.

These recipes were designed to introduce the concept to consumers and to inspire them, along with retailers and foodservice operators to create their own unique Beefshi rolls.
From Chuck Knows Beef to Beefshi, these are prime examples of ways the beef checkoff, and the well-known “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” brand are reaching out to consumers in new and innovative ways.

The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Farm Progress.

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