3 Ways For Meat Execs to Stay On Top of Changing Meat Trends in a Tight Market

As an executive in the meat industry, changing consumer trends often present unique opportunities for growth and expansion. As a graduate student of marketing at Northwestern University with experience in the meat industry, I have found two articles addressing and analyzing this changing market. 

This article entitled “Oh, you are offal but I do like you” by Victoria Robinson helps explain what offal is and how it functions as a profitable food trend. Animal organs haven’t seen a resurgence since the WWII era when they were widely available, but baby boomers rejected these staples soon after for more conventional food items. Offal’s re-emergence on food menus as of late is something food scientist, Miranda Mirosa of Otago University, attributes to a type of “food nostalgia”.  

Above: Pork rinds with spiced honey, a popular offal dish at Milwaukee’s trendy restaurant, Beta

This other article, “Game Meat, Organ Meat, and Marrow—What is Fueling the Fire?” by popular food blogger, Jennifer Nordwall, describes the growing popularity in today’s restaurant scene of game meats and other “strange” new exotic cuts. She ties the mainstreaming of off-beat products like elk, wild boar, and sweetbreads into other over-arching current food trends like buying local, nutritional value, and a growing consumer need for adventure and experimentation. 

     

Left: An assortment of Wild Game; Right: Nutritional information on game meats puts them ahead of beef and pork

After reviewing these two excellent articles, I have found three action items you need to implement immediately.  They are:

1. Research! - Don't get caught off guard when other industry professionals or customers ask about these cuts.

2) Network, network, network - Companies like Sierra Meat and D'Artagnan procure and distribute many unique cuts. Call them, get an idea of the market, add it to your portfolio.

3) Talk to your customers - Once you have the knowledge and have expanded your portfolio and vendor network, let your customers know you are offering some unique new cuts. Gauge their interest, send samples, and show them how this could help their business. 

 As meat professionals in an ever tightening meat market where beef tenderloin and strip loins are growing increasingly more expensive, it is crucial to stay adrift with changing trends in the meat industry so as to not get caught behind when competitors offer more options and lower prices.  

Alana Heber has been a Sales/ Marketing Manager for a wholesale meat purveyor in the Chicago Stockyards for over three years. She has is soon to obtain a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) from Northwestern University-Medill and intends to pursue a career in marketing within the foodservices or CPG industry.

Follow her on Twitter @AEHeber 

LinkedIn Alana Heber 

Foodservice & Social Media - Tips for Succcess

Marketing through social media is essential these days, but how do you know if you're doing it right?  As part of my studies as a grad student in Northwestern's IMC program, I found this great article on understanding the role social media should take in your firm - no matter the industry.  The author outlined some great, general points on how to make social media efforts successful:

●      Provide an identity for your company/products

●      It can serve as a way to communicate with your peers and customers

●      You cannot depend just on Social Media as your marketing platform

●      And, the Importance in keeping a consistent message

http://marketing.about.com/od/strategytutorials/a/socialmediamktg.htm

I thought it was a great article but wanted to share my take on her points and some thoughts of mine provoked by hers … and ultimately, explain how it might relate to the foodservice industry. So, from this article and my examination of effective social programs, here are my thoughts:

Have a consistent Brand Image – create a social networking image that’s fresh, but also ties in nicely with your current brand position.  Too many times there’s a disconnect with the brand image in traditional forms of marketing compared to how it’s portrayed in social marketing – it should be one consistent message across an entire marketing platform.  Remember, social marketing is important and effective if done right, but is only a piece of your integrated marketing plan.  However, different marketing techniques are better for different things.  In the foodservice industry social marketing is a great way to introduce new products, solicit feedback, and to encourage visitation through apps/couponing. 

Understand your Audience – Know exactly who your audience is and, more importantly, know who the influencers are.  Everyone is at a different stage in social media “sophistication” and should be treated as such.  It’s your responsibility to segment these groups and engage them accordingly.  In the foodservice industry, trends change so quickly so it’s important to know what your target is saying, who is listening, and how that can affect your business.

Engaging Content – make sure your social media platform is engaging and is managed on a daily basis.  It should have interactive technology that encourages dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals. Pictures are a must in the foodservice industry as we "eat with our eyes" - no matter what you say about your product, the picture conveys what you want the consumer to see about your brand and/or products.

If you take nothing else out of this blog, take these three action steps:

1. Keep the brand image consistent so there’s no wasted time in your customer’s mind on whom the message is coming from.  It should be fresh, but should also fit within your brand current brand position.
2. Know your consumer! This means knowing the topics of conversation, sites they’re visiting and participating in, and ultimately how influential they are to others.
3. Change and update your content regularly to avoid it becoming ‘stale’ to your followers.  This will encourage more frequent activity and ultimately increase engagement – which can lead to stronger loyalty among your audience. 

Even if it’s a small piece of your overall marketing platform, social media is a necessity and is expected.  I know, if done smartly, marketing through social media can successfully expand your reach and engagement with consumers, especially in the foodservice industry.

Carrie Phelps is a current graduate student in the Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program, with 5 years of work experience in Marketing Research within the Foodservice Industry. Follow her @cphelps16 and connect with her on LinkedIn: Carrie Phelps.