For Immediate Release                                                                     
Nov. 9, 2004

Contact:  Burt Rutherford at TCFA                
                Graceann Bennett at Leo Burnett  (312) 220-6648

CONSUMER TRENDS AFFECT CATTLEMEN, EXPERT TELLS CATTLE FEEDERS

             There are five major consumer trends that bear watching by cattlemen, said Graceann Bennett, because they ultimately will affect how much beef consumers will buy in the years ahead. 

            Bennett, executive vice president and director of brand planning for Leo Burnett USA in Chicago , spoke at the 2004 Annual Convention of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) in San Antonio .  She told the more than 500 cattle feeders in attendance that these major trends will affect every cattleman in the country as consumers continue to change.

            Here are the five trends:

            Information Saturation-Consumers are overwhelmed with information.  "This is a really broad trend," Bennett said.  "But when you drill down to what it means for beef, we need to keep a simple message and keep a strategy that is consistent for a long time." 

            For example, providing consumers with beef nutrition news that is simple and easy to understand means consumers are more likely to absorb it.  "If you talk about beef in a complex way, then consumers get overloaded and they don't get the message." 

            Brave New Man-"There are a lot of men going through an identity crisis right now in America ," Bennett said, with men going to day spas and buying beauty products.  This is reflected in how products are advertised.  "Even the 'brawny man' in advertising has been given a makeover to make him look like more of a sensitive, new-age guy." 

            However, since men are getting a more feminine image, "there is this desire to act more like a real man," she said.  So Hummers are selling well and girls in bikinis will continue to advertise beer. 

            "When you think about beef, it feeds into their whole identity as real men.  So you have all these barbecue bibles and recipes for men as they start cooking.  It's kind of primal instinct, fire and meat.  So even though they have a sensitive side and want to do more cooking, they want to do it in a more masculine way." 

            Hiving-"We see people using their houses more as a hub of activity, a big increase in people cooking at home to entertain others."  However, Bennett said, people don't really like to cook, so easy-to-prepare foods and cooking methods that don't require a lot of work will be popular.       "So if you think about beef, doing a big pot of chili or having a barbecue or other kinds of beef cooking that are easy entertainment is going to be on the rise." 

Low-Carb Goes Mainstream-"Everybody is eating low carb foods," she said.  "We think it will stabilize into a normal thing that we do to have a healthy diet."  That means that low-carb will take a place right along low-fat and low-calorie in consumers' minds as they make food choices. 

            That's a good thing for beef, she said.  Prior to the low-carb fad, people would just look at fat calories and incorrectly think beef didn't fit in the diet.  Now, people look at protein in a different way.  "The power of protein is going to last, so people will see the value of beef and see it as a good staple in the diet." 

            Living at the Extremes-"People don't really want moderation," Bennett observed.  "This goes all throughout culture.  So people buy huge Hummers and then buy hybrid cars and both are popular at the same time, because people don't want something that is in the middle." 

            Beef, she told cattle feeders, can play this trend at both ends.  "It can be lean beef as a good, high-quality protein and be part of a healthy, low-carb diet.  Or it can be at the other extreme in terms of the ultimate indulgence with a really good, juicy burger or a very indulgent steak." 

            Consumers, Bennett told cattle feeders, are an elusive target.  "They switch all over the place."  And sometimes they don't make a lot of sense.  But Bennett's crystal ball shows beef will continue as a consumer favorite, provided the industry remains consumer focused and willing to adjust to a changing consumer landscape. 

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