Certified Angus Beef
Challenge
Our charge from Certified Angus Beef® brand was to increase its relevance and differentiation to drive preference for the brand. We had history on our side. Certified Angus Beef® brand was created in 1978 for breeding and marketing a superior brand of beef. Family ranchers raised the cattle, and the beef was held to the highest standards of flavor and texture. This commitment would become the focal point of a quality story that positioned Certified Angus Beef® brand as authentic, genuine and, well … delicious.
Solution
Our work began with the realization that the word Angus had become diluted as a differentiator, because other beef brands with lower standards were incorporating the term into their own marketing efforts. We needed to help Certified Angus Beef® brand reclaim and preserve its heritage of unparalleled quality. The solution began with conversations with people representing all of the brand’s constituents – ranchers, restaurateurs, chefs, grocers and, of course, consumers. These conversations revealed that heritage was the brand’s greatest strength and clearest point of differentiation. Interestingly, our conversations also indicated that consumers care more than ever about where their food comes from and how it’s brought to market. These insights provided the inspiration for a strategic and creative solution that centered on the idea of presenting the brand as a collaborative of small family ranchers who shared a simple, yet powerful, common goal – to produce the finest beef. We decided the best way to tell our audiences about the ranchers was to take them to the ranch. Through a combination of landscape, portraiture and product photography, we created a campaign that took people to a place where the spaces are wide open, the air is fresh and pride is taken in every chore throughout a workday that starts early and ends late. It’s the type of story we love to tell. And apparently, one consumers love to hear.
Results
The success story continues as post-campaign research indicated that 76% of consumers said they would pay $1 extra per pound for Certified Angus Beef® brand versus their store brand. Sales of Certified Angus Beef® brand increased accordingly, reaching an all-time high of 1.1 billion pounds. What do we love most about this brand and its story? Authenticity.
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