Scotch Beef PGI Campaign Delivers Strong Results

The recent marketing campaign behind Scotch Beef PGI has delivered strong results for the Scottish red meat industry.

The focus of the two-month campaign, run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), was to build awareness and trust in Scotch Beef PGI in the target markets of London, the Home Counties and Scotland, reinforcing the message that it is the best beef money can buy.

Analysis by independent market research organisation, Kantar Worldpanel revealed that the campaign contributed to a seven percent increase in the volume of retail sales of identified fresh Scottish-origin beef in the past 52 weeks, ending 22nd April 2018. It also revealed that in London, fresh Scottish-origin beef maintained an average price differential of 10% over home-produced beef – ie shoppers were willing to pay 10% more*.

During the past year the penetration of fresh Scottish-origin beef in the GB market also increased by 6.3%, with volume increasing 7% across GB in the 52-week period ending 22nd April 2018.

The campaign aimed to re-engage consumers and provide contemporary alternatives to traditional roast dinner serving suggestions. Its strapline – “There’s beef…then there’s Scotch Beef” - showcased Scotch Beef and the flavour, provenance and integrity which underpin the brand’s PGI status.

Over 8.2 million consumers were targeted across GB during March and April via press, digital, broadcast and billboard advertising, to inform, educate and inspire them to use Scotch Beef when they cook.

Digital screens located within high footfall commuter areas of London, such as Waterloo Station, carried messaging on the quality of Scotch Beef PGI, while traditional and digital ad space was sited outside retailers to target shoppers during the final stages of their purchase journey. In total the combined reach of this advertising reached 44 million adults.

A radio campaign on Classic FM cut through to 1.1m people making the brand stand out to loyal listeners when it co-branded the station’s “best of” feature.

Innovative recipes were also showcased in titles such as Good Housekeeping and Country Living, to celebrate the quality and creativity of the modern roast. The branded activity built coverage and aimed to inspire households in the lead up to Easter Sunday.

More than 70% of QMS’s external spend is allocated to marketing and consumer-facing activities such as the recent Scotch Beef

Carol McLaren, Director of Marketing & Communications with QMS, said that the results confirmed that the campaign had delivered strongly for the industry.

“One very encouraging result from the figures, looking at pre-campaign and post-campaign, is that there is a considerable increase in the number of shoppers - 43% compared to 29% - who agreed they were more aware of the Scotch Beef PGI logo.

“We also saw an increase (42% vs 32%) of people within our London target market who agree they would pay more for Scotch Beef. These are promising results for the campaign and for our industry,” said Ms McLaren.