Checking in on the Checkoff
February 15, 2008
This week: WHAT HAS THE CHECKOFF’S FOREIGN MARKETING PROGRAM AREA DONE FOR ME LATELY?
FOREIGN MARKETING, as defined in the Beef Promotion & Research Act, means promotion, research, consumer information and industry information conducted in foreign markets. This includes checkoff-funded market development and promotional programs worldwide.
U.S. Beef Back in Indonesia — With the reopening of Indonesia to U.S. beef on Jan. 22, USMEF is busy appraising marketing opportunities for the checkoff there and determining the checkoff’s participation level at the Food, Hotel & Tourism Bali show in late February. "We will have to evaluate likely initial flows of product and product type before we schedule re-launch activities," said USMEF to acting ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin. For more information, go to http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/files/Indonesia%20Blue.pdf.
Middle East — Thanks to the Beef Checkoff Program, USMEF will fly the U.S. flag at Gulfood 2008, the region's largest and most important industry event at the Dubai World Trade Exhibition Centre, Feb. 24- 27. Checkoff representatives will conduct one-on-one meetings and arrange follow-up contacts with current and potential U.S. beef buyers. Trade servicing of this kind is an important part of checkoff efforts to maintain buyer loyalty and expand export markets for U.S. beef. Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of Persian Gulf states. The UAE’s economy is forecast to grow by 16.5 percent in 2008. For more information, go to http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/MiddleEast.asp.
Japan — The beef checkoff is being invested in Japan to encourage consumers to “Simplify Cooking! Enjoy Genuine American Beef in a Friendly Style,” and this was the theme of a checkoff-funded American Beef Cooking Class at the Better Home Shibuya Cooking Studio in Tokyo on Jan. 25. Events like this are carefully designed to have the maximum impact per dollar invested. Learning English is very popular with the target audience — women aged 30-50 — and this event was promoted through English language schools, a national English-language newspaper, other cooking schools, journals and the checkoff-funded Japan Web site. The class was so popular that its capacity had to be increased from 20 to 30, the most the venue would hold. For details, go to http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/files/Japan%20cooking%20school%20Orange.pdf.
European Union — At the European Fine Food Fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands, Jan. 21-23, the Beef Checkoff Program supported a U.S. beef promotion at the ISPC booth. ISPC, which has two stores in Belgium and two in the Netherlands, is a food supplier of high quality products for the Hotel, Restaurant & Institution (HRI) sector. The European Fine Food Fair is a prestigious invitation-only event intended for culinary professionals in Northwest Europe. Visitors tasted U.S. beef, learned more about its qualities and advantages and picked up promotional materials. Attendance was high, and reactions to the U.S. beef presence were positive. For more information, visit http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/Europe.asp.