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A "Complete" Audit Of The Check-Off Is Needed?

About a month ago I spent several days in a "distant" city where my wife was hospitalized. Never watched so much TV or flipped through so many ho hum magazines in my life. The only things I saw that had any reference even to beef were on the "Food Network" and some meat packages that were being sold on QVC for Omaha Steak. So I understand that checkoff dollars are not going for television ads anymore, and that they are supposedly getting a better return on some other avenues. Personally, I would like to see the proof of that. Television may have gotten overpriced, as they claim, but one would think that radio would still be doable. I also find it questionable that those of us that pay in aren't privy to see a balance sheet of some kind, or documents regarding exactly what is being worked on, and an itemized breakdown of expenditures. Transparency is good for politics and it's good for any entity that's spending the money of others.

https://www.beefboard.org/promotion/140211MakingtheShiftDigital.asp
The checkoff's journey from an extensive print and radio consumer-marketing campaign to an integrated digital campaign in 2014 has begun with a data-centered approach focused on "micro-" or "geo-targeting." This technology allows us to deliver, for example, a relevant beef solution to millennial moms in a particular geographic region who are actively looking for quick and simple weeknight meals. Promotions are taking on a variety of digital forms, including search engine optimization, Facebook advertising, display advertising and other emerging online tools. Through this process, the checkoff is working to deepen interactions and engagement with this critical consumer target – driving them to the checkoff's existing resources, like Beef. It's What's for Dinner website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest properties to access the specific information they need at the exact moment that they need the information.
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Advertising it tough, to put it mildly. Too many tv shows/channels ( you said yourself you never watched so much tv in your life, or flipped through so many pages......and it is EXPENSIVE! I sold advertising for papers in rural towns for 30 years. I had a customer get in my car one time, (and I didn't sell radio advertising!)....and check to see what radio station I was listening to. He was so frustrated with radio, he had done that in 10 different cars trying to find out what channel they were listening to; and that was in 1980!! Before XM. We record tv shows we like and watch them so that we can fast forward through the commercials. We listen to Sirus XM, some have no commercials...so I'm not sure where the Check-off money should be spent. In advertising, I know you need to target your audience and for the rural papers, not reach out too far because your ad dollar could become really fractured. With such a huge scale of media places to advertise, where do you think the Check-off $$$ should be spent.......and how?

I guess my answer to that question would be: any sports channel, or local news, local newspapers, (most people still read their local newspaper--they carry school sports and academics, etc, plus legals for their town/county) but that would take purchasing a lot of ad space.......otherwise, I really don't know.
 
I guess May was beef month.
http://www.cattlebusinessweekly.com/Content/Headlines/-Headlines/Article/Continuing-efforts-to-promote-beef-s-image/1/1/8928
I wish this article provided some links.

This one link they mention is ~ six years old.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/12/13/ajcn.111.016261.full.pdf+html

Maybe it's out of reach now, but you can't help but think of radio and television ad campaigns of the past when our slogan was on people's minds when they shopped and dined out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZoyE1B7HHA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruZaTZjwaIA

A lot more on Youtube, but it's information that has to be sought.

https://www.youtube.com/user/BeefForDinner
 
It probably should be expected, but that doesn't make it sensible, that those who fought against the Beef CheckOff from the beginning of time would STILL be trying to find 'reasons' for ending it......or taking it away from the CATTLE PRODUCERS who have managed it from the beginning.

They STILL have not found legitimate, proven reasons for ending it!

Same old complaints, generated from hot air and vivid imaginations, imo.

Because contracts to do work for the Beef CheckOff are on a cost only basis, they are not widely sought out. The work has to be done before the CheckOff pays the bill, and there is no PROFIT allowed!

There is no way for NCBA to use CheckOff money to donate to political campaigns! FACT: NCBA members and friends create and self-fund those donations from our own pockets!

Similarly, and for the same reason, NCBA does not, and in fact cannot, pay those hated "high" salaries with CheckOff money. The ONLY way CheckOff $$$ can be paid to NCBA employees is for time they specifically spend working on CheckOff projects on contracts duly awarded to NCBA by the Cattlemens' Beef Board.

NCBA employees are required to account for their time working on specific projects in 15 minute increments (a time frame which may have changed since I asked a few years ago to assure that the proper entity is billed for their time.

Regarding not finding ads paid by CheckOff dollars, there has been considerable time and effort spent talking to consumers, from soliciting individual consumers in various cities, to other types of studies, which have shown exactly how consumers want to get their information about beef.........and many methods have been targeted to fit their requests. While I don't take time to look them up, some of my 'city' women and college age girls do. The younger generation, and even the 'middle' aged ones are as likely to look for a recipe, or cooking advice on the computer than to pick up a cook book to do it.

Re. COOL, I, a consumer too, saw those government labels in stores......and was totally NOT impressed. Also, the fact that the poorest quality USA produced beef got labelled exactly the same as the highest quality surely didn't do a lot for our beef sales, since one of the worst problems consumers complain of is lack of consistent product when buying beef.

Did anyone see a recent photo comparing that government "USA Beef" label with the label from just one of well over 100 private labelled beef products available in the USA? My guess is that the private label doesn't cost as much as the government COOL label......and carries much more information. Beside the fact that those promoting the COOL label want all of us to pay for their label, while TRULY independent cattle producers have long been doing the work and paying the costs required to label their own beef!

We really need to get over whining about 'the big outfits', which was done in that 'news' story linked in the first post. It's a waste of time and contributes nothing to solve problems. Farmers Union was noticeable as a 'source' for quotes: I'm very certain that while that group may have some small producers, it also has some of the biggest.......so what? People are people and we have varying talents and opportunities......and too many people who would rather tear down 'the big ones' than work to build upon their own skills and opportunities.

mrj
 
mrj said:
It probably should be expected, but that doesn't make it sensible, that those who fought against the Beef CheckOff from the beginning of time would STILL be trying to find 'reasons' for ending it......or taking it away from the CATTLE PRODUCERS who have managed it from the beginning.

They STILL have not found legitimate, proven reasons for ending it!

NCBA employees are required to account for their time working on specific projects in 15 minute increments (a time frame which may have changed since I asked a few years ago to assure that the proper entity is billed for their time.

Regarding not finding ads paid by CheckOff dollars, there has been considerable time and effort spent talking to consumers, from soliciting individual consumers in various cities, to other types of studies, which have shown exactly how consumers want to get their information about beef.........and many methods have been targeted to fit their requests. While I don't take time to look them up, some of my 'city' women and college age girls do. The younger generation, and even the 'middle' aged ones are as likely to look for a recipe, or cooking advice on the computer than to pick up a cook book to do it.




mrj
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I supported the checkoff from the very beginning. Here is my point. Beef information for the consumer to see seems to be very limited at this time, and I would venture seemingly so for the ones paying in, not that we should be advertising to each other. Much of it has to be physically sought after. If there are advertisements or point of purchase promotions it would be nice if someone would take the initiative to actually provide links, such as the ones I have found and previously posted for USMEF promotions. I am not asking for checkoff money to be taken away from NCBA, and would be for raising the checkoff if it could provide the level of quality advertisements, etc.... from years past. I don't see that happening without a very high level of transparency. What I would like to see is first hand information regarding projects being worked on, and the level of spending. Not just assurances. If you can provide some helpful links that would be great! It would be nice to civilly discuss them and be further informed.
 
Good points, Traveler. I probably should be doing that, but.......poor excuses aren't worth much, BUT I'm old and tired and can't get nearly as much done as I want to, let alone what I need to!

I'm not an enthusiastic cook and do most of it by my own methods, especially for beef. Experimentation makes cooking tolerable, imo. so I don't really recommend 'my ways' to others even tho I do produce pretty good food. Far more of it is 'from scratch' and far more time and effort required than many modern cooks have time or are willing to give to it.

Further, I know the more current training done by CheckOff programs is being used by the younger people involved in raising cattle, and that is a great connection much appreciated by non-ag people who want to prepare and eat beef at home.

Maybe some day before too long I will jump into that arena again, but not right now. I've got these two little great-grand girls to pley with and T-Ball games to attend this summer! Maybe even some very junior 'rodeo's, not to mention an occasional 'Ranch Rodeo' with a grandson or two involved. It just gets easier every year to focus on the fun that I may not be able to enjoy for many more years, and those grand kids do grow up fast! They need grand parents when they are little, AND when they are grown up, if we can manage it.

We did a lot for the Beef CheckOff in the formative years, and am very thankful we were able to do what we did, but just ran out of time and energy for a while, hoping to get back to it occasionally, when I get better at managing this 'new' computer.

mrj
 

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