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 www.NALF.org North American (303) 220-1693 |
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NALF Line As the fall feeder-cattle run picks up speed each year, so does the North American Limousin Foundation’s (NALF’s) national advertising campaign. This go-around, readers of BEEF, Drovers, National Beef Producer and Beef Business Journal will see the breed’s “Get Power and Efficiency,” “Running on Empty?” and “Beef Up Your Angus” messages alternately through March. NALF will spend nearly $60,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2007–2008 to promote the breed in those publications. The total number of resulting impressions will be about 1.5 million, focusing on commercial cattle producers with at least 100 cows. The current ad campaign is entering its second year, and the objective measurements of its effectiveness are encouraging. For starters, the number of requests NALF received from BEEF magazine’s product-information service was up nearly 50 percent from 2005–2006 to 2006–2007.
Most impressive of all, the breed’s half page bested the average full-page advertisement, which stuck in the minds of only 82 percent of the respondents. With the scores ranging from 93 percent to 67 percent, it is clear “Beef Up Your Angus” was among the issue’s most recognized advertisements. NALF’s full-page, full-color “Fighting Fat, Flat & 4s?” advertisement in the April 2005 issue (the last time BEEF conducted an evaluation) also scored 85 percent in the “Recall Seeing” category. In “Recall Reading” this year, NALF’s advertisement scored 26 percent. The average partial-page advertisement only scored 21 percent. The average full-color advertisement garnered 27 percent, which also was the overall average. The average full-page advertisement scored only 2 percentage points better than the Limousin breed’s half page. The category’s scores ranged from 42 percent to 9 percent. Of the 41 advertisements in the April 2007 issue, NALF’s was the most interesting to 2 percent of the respondents. That tied or beat 25 of the other advertisements and matched the number “Fighting Fat … ” claimed in April 2005. “I’m a Limousin breeder” typified many of the responses from those who picked the NALF advertisement as the most interesting in April 2007. Here are some other noteworthy comments:
BEEF also asked its readers about their perceptions of its advertisers’ brand identities (how well the industry recognizes them). Almost half of its April 2007 respondents said the Limousin breed had strong industry recognition. About 20 percent were neutral in their opinions, and about 10 percent said the breed’s recognition was weak. The rest did not know or did not answer. Those numbers reflected the issue’s average advertiser almost perfectly. In April 2005, only 40 percent of respondents said the Limousin breed had a strong brand identity. Another 40 percent were neutral. The number of respondents who said the breed suffered from weak recognition was virtually the same as this year. Taking things a step further, BEEF asked its readers what they thought about the advertisers’ abilities to meet industry needs. They rated the Limousin breed at about 45 percent favorable, 20 percent neutral, 15 percent unfavorable and 20 percent undecided. The average advertiser scored about 50 percent favorable, 20 percent neutral, 5 percent unfavorable and 25 percent undecided. In the last evaluation, just less than 35 percent said the Limousin breed favorably met industry needs. Almost half were neutral, and nearly 10 percent held an unfavorable perception. Bottom line: Over the past two years, more commercial cattle producers recognize the Limousin breed, and more of them have a favorable perception of its place in the industry. NALF’s State Cooperative Marketing Program and Breeder Cooperative Advertising Program allow state associations and groups of individual breeders to piggyback on the consistent, effective Limousin messages commercial cattle producers see in the industry’s national publications. In both programs, NALF cost-shares qualifying expenses to increase the breed’s advertising range and frequency. Each has guidelines to assure targeted, consistent messaging about Limousin genetics to commercial producers across the nation. State associations already have submitted their marketing plans to NALF, and the Board of Directors approved $30,000 in cost-share assistance for 2007–2008. The budget also includes $6,500 to help breeder coops. If we put those funds to maximum use, they will add $86,000 worth of advertising to the breed’s marketing efforts, bringing the total to $146,000. In the breeder-coop program, NALF cost-shares 25 percent of qualifying ad expenses with groups of two to six breeders. Find the program guidelines and application form on the NALF Web site, or contact me in the NALF office. If you would like to “go it alone” and add your own information to a NALF advertisement for your individual marketing efforts, I can help. The design fee usually will be $35 to $50. The important thing – whether or not you use ad material from NALF – is that you advertise the genetics you produce to the commercial cattle producers in your area. Until customers can find a phone number or e‑mail address for their local Limousin or Lim‑Flex® seedstock producer, they will not be able to buy herd sires or replacement females. When you do sell animals, be sure to transfer their registrations so NALF can follow up with the quarterly Bottom Line newsletter and other customer services. Meanwhile, your registration, transfer, member-service, commercial-checkoff and annual fees will help fund more breed advertising.
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