Stretching every dollar and reaching as many consumers as possible, is one strategy Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council, says is helping OBC be successful in its mission to promote consumption of Oklahoma beef. She tells Farm Director Ron Hays that Beef Checkoff dollars need to be where the consumers are, many of whom, reside outside the state.
“We participated with other state beef councils this year, as part of a five-state marketing campaign, really focused on keying in on those key population states such as California and New York,” Buckmaster said. “We want to go where the people are and we want to be able to invest where the people are.”
Much of the focus on this campaign has been to educate consumers, especially millennials, about beef and its nutritional value and increase their overall beef purchases. A strategy in achieving this goal has been supported largely by driving consumer traffic to the industry’s flagship website, BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. But Buckmaster says the Checkoff has also invested in the education of consumer influencers. And it is physicians, she insists, that have the most persuasion with people when it comes to taking advice on what to include in a healthy, balanced diet.
“We’ve had a long-term focus in Oklahoma in many different programs on the medical community,” Buckmaster said. “We’re working to really educate the medical community on antibiotic stewardship and the food animal community.”
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