Allan Barber reviews the ups and downs of a globally unique collaboration that brings together the three industry sectors to promote red meat to local consumers, now recognised for its successes

Beef and Lamb Inc, the sector’s domestic marketing arm, started in 1986 as a retailer-led organisation to promote the benefits of eating red meat to New Zealand consumers. In the 1990s processors and farmers came on board which had the effect of increasing the promotional budget and facilitated some memorably high-profile marketing and advertising campaigns.

The funding model for the organisation is unique. Nowhere else in the world is there a red meat promotional arm which involves the whole supply chain from farm to point of sale. It is a voluntary collaboration between retailers represented by Retail Meat NZ, processors supplying the New Zealand market and farmers through Beef+Lamb New Zealand.

The retailers and processors contribute a fixed sum for every head of livestock sold domestically, while BLNZ pays an annual grant which varies according to the perception of issues to be tackled at the time. For instance the grant was raised to counter the threat from artificial meat, increasing veganism, environmental and health concerns but this has since been cut as BLNZ wished to redirect its funding to other areas. Processors also increased their contribution at the same time.

The founding CEO Rod Slater was involved until his retirement in 2021 when Kit Arkwright moved into the role, so Beef and Lamb has had total consistency of marketing approach throughout its existence. The main message remains essentially the same today as at the beginning.

When Slater started, the budget was smaller and the promotional landscape was a lot simpler. There were only two TV channels which provided the greatest consumer reach to deliver the key messages. These highlighted the importance of red meat in providing the required intake of iron, the product’s nutritional benefits, convenience, great taste and, with the launch of the Quality Mark, guaranteed quality.

The early 2000s saw the introduction of the Iron Maidens television campaigns, featuring initially female Olympians the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer. This whole campaign which is still running has been a trendsetter in its recognition of famous New Zealand sportswomen. It is also a superb example of the importance of maintaining a constant advertising theme which delivers immediate brand and product recognition.

Over the 40 years the advertising and communications landscape has changed beyond recognition, even in the last 10 years since digital marketing tools started replacing traditional media. Arkwright says TV still has its place as the most effective communication channel, but all the other available direct marketing tools must supplement it. 

His marketing team is inevitably larger than it used to be in a simpler world, and everyone must now take responsibility for producing digital material. The investment in frequent recipe updates triggers millions of hits, as the public looks for different and convenient ways to enjoy beef and lamb.

Fred Hellaby has been chairman of Beef and Lamb Inc for many years and has been able to observe it closely, both as chairman and Managing Director of Wilson Hellaby, New Zealand’s largest processor and supplier of red meat to the domestic market. He firmly believes the reason for the organisation’s success has been its single-minded consistency of message, focusing on red meat as the main source of iron for sportspeople. 

He is a big supporter of the Quality Mark for its key role in raising the standard for red meat eating quality through the development of clear specifications.  

He believes generic promotion is much more effective as a means of promoting the benefits of red meat, as opposed to brand specific promotion of a largely generic product with limited brand appeal to the consumer.

I also spoke to Nick Harris who is CEO of Harris Farms and the board representative of Retail Meat NZ, the third leg of the stool together with the processors and producers. He is certain regular, consistent promotion is critically important in keeping beef and lamb top of mind, especially at times of high pricing as is the case now. It keeps red meat relevant through promoting its excellent quality and nutritional benefits.

While he acknowledges the Quality Mark may have lost some awareness, he is adamant it was essential when it was introduced to the lifting of processing standards from a level which often resulted in poor eating quality. He attributes this problem to the rise of hot boning in the 1980s which caused cold shortening of beef and lamb from being put in the freezer when still warm. This automatically resulted in destruction of tenderness and acceptable eating quality.

Harris maintains it is essential to retain a clear separation between export and domestic marketing because if the two were merged, the processors and BLNZ would lose focus on domestic red meat. After a time it would no longer generate consumer awareness, and the product would start to lose relevance. 

He makes the point venison has never succeeded in catching consumer attention because it is not promoted and is largely irrelevant except in markets like Southern Germany.

Beef and Lamb Inc also performs a valuable administration service for Retail Meat NZ, as well as being responsible for the Great New Zealand Sausage Championship and other local awareness building activities. The World Butchers Challenge has now been handed over to a not-for-profit run by an ex-Beef and Lamb team member out of Australia, although Arkwright represents New Zealand on the council.

For those who doubt the necessity of investing in maintaining Beef and Lamb Inc, even when prices are high, the separate focus on the domestic market has maintained a relatively constant share of total beef consumption at about 10 or 11% over 15 years. Lamb has declined from over 5% to less than 4%, but this can be attributed to affordability as prices have risen sharply. 

Consumer research confirms high levels of awareness and satisfaction with New Zealand beef and lamb. The talented and passionate team at Beef and Lamb is looking forward to another 40 years of success.