More US consumers aspire to buy NZ beef and lamb

// International Trade

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) brand tracking shows Californian Conscious Foodies are increasingly aspiring to buy NZ grass-fed beef and lamb following recent Taste Pure Nature marketing campaigns. Learn more about the latest Taste Pure Nature campaigns in the US.

Taste Pure Nature banner in LA

Since the start of the Taste Pure Nature brand marketing campaign in 2019, B+LNZ has been tracking its performance in the United States (US) and China to benchmark the campaign’s performance.

Read the full quarterly report here.

In The US the Taste Pure Nature campaign continues to deliver key messages around taste, nutrition and New Zealand’s environmental position – leading to positive perceived value and desire to buy, particularly for New Zealand lamb.  

B+LNZ’s tracking shows Californian Conscious Foodies’ aspiration to buy New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb is up 16% and 15% respectively compared to 2019. 

Awareness of our unique grass-fed origin story and farming systems has climbed to 61%, a 18% lift since 2019. Over half of Conscious Foodies who saw the marketing campaign have seen it across digital media like YouTube and Facebook. 

Supporting this growth was a highly successful Food Truck Sampling Tour run late last year in partnership with Atkins Ranch, First Light Farms and Chef Alvin Cailan where over 15,000 samples of New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb were given to consumers at 18 high-traffic locations scattered across Los Angeles.

An online and offline marketing campaign, including billboards, local morning TV and social media drove people to the food trucks. In total, the campaign received more than 246 million media and PR views and over 25% of Conscious Foodies surveyed said they had visited the food truck. 

“This campaign has been very successful for all involved, including our brand partners Atkins Ranch and First Light Foods,” says Michael Wan, B+LNZ’s Global Manager - NZ Red Meat Story.

“By leveraging the popular food truck scene in Los Angeles and working with a well-known local chef to develop an exceptionally tasty sampling menu, we were confident we’d attract some attention.

“We were blown away by the response from locals and the media with several New Zealand exporters having since approach us wanting to do it again.”

In the lead up to Christmas, B+LNZ ran a holiday-themed digital marketing campaign to encourage New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb onto the festive table setting. “Overall, the campaign delivered strong results with more than 10.6 million views and 44,000 people clicking to our brand website to find where to buy New Zealand products,” says Wan.

Another billboard campaign is now live with 18 outdoor billboards strategically located in proximity to key retailers across Los Angeles.

“We’ve partnered with Atkins Ranch, First Light Farms, Silver Fern Farms and their retailers Whole Foods, Ralph’s and Jon’s Fresh Marketplace to get the attention of shoppers on the way to the store and encourage them to purchase New Zealand branded beef and lamb,” he says.

As part of the sustainability storytelling efforts of Taste Pure Nature in 2023, B+LNZ is working with Triple Pundit – a professional digital content platform – to garner media coverage among a global audience of environmental, social and corporate governance stakeholders. 

“Through this partnership, we will create a series of sponsored articles to highlight New Zealand’s sustainable farming systems, our aspirations for the future and what the rest of the world can learn from our vision for a resilient food system that’s better for people, animals and the planet,” Wan says. 

The first two articles are now live and can be read here.

B+LNZ will continue its efforts this Earth Day to position New Zealand’s beef and lamb industry as one of the most sustainable in world. This includes promoting its recent articles with Triple Pundit and publishing relevant content in partnership with New Zealand exporters across social media channels. 

Domestically, B+LNZ is sharing information about how New Zealand beef and lamb are among the most carbon efficient in the world through its social media channels.

In December 2022, B+LNZ launched a six-month partnership with leading news and media outlet, The Los Angeles Times, with the goal to reach more Californian Conscious Foodies and drive them to the Taste Pure Nature website to learn more about New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb.  

Wan says a new beef or lamb recipe will be published each month in addition to digital advertising across the Los Angeles Times website and social media channels. “So far, the campaign has exceeded our expectations and generated more than 1.2 million views and 19,000 engagements,” he says.  

Read the full quarterly report here.

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