Slow cooked bbq is starting to find its way as a festival favourite. Photo: Shank Brothers Facebook

SUMMER is ‘grilling season’ in the US, a time when cooking outdoors is on the mind of consumers, along with wanting to keep fit and look good by the pool or at the beach. That makes it a great time to focus messaging and marketing of Australian grassfed beef as a grill-ready, nutritious choice.

This summer, MLA built on learnings from prior years and were able to expand the approach and reach thanks to funding from the Victorian government.  The Victorian government co-invested with MLA to expand the reach of the US summer beef campaign to target two cities, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Highlights from the integrated, multi-channel marketing program include:

• 35,232,524 consumers reached
• 7M video views
• 33,345 new Aussie beef fans (new followers and clicks through to our website)
• 100pc growth in engagement with video and social media content (over the 2021 campaign).

MLA Regional Manager for North America, Doug McNicholl explains that the team trial marketing strategies and platforms that will achieve success and then pass on what they’ve learned to the supplier community.

“Our suppliers can then pick up those tactics and run with them to support their own Australian brands,” Doug said.

“It’s exciting to see that the grassfed beef category is so vibrant and engaging for US consumers – they’re keen to learn more about it, find product and serve it to their families.”

Three tips for Australian beef brands tapping into the US market

1. Use personalised, high-performance advertising

Modern media buying allows for highly targeted digital advertising, not just to the markets and demographics you want, but even down to the moments those consumers see them, and on which screens. For example, ads can be served when grocery shopping, or in the late afternoons when meal prep is on consumer’s minds. Better targeting makes for more efficient spend, making every dollar count.

2. Tap into influencer power

Partnering with compatible influencers helped spread our message to new audiences, and led to more content and engagement because their followers posted their own reactions enabling content to generate a ‘snowball’ effect.

3. Video is king

Whether it was ads or organic content, video was the medium that resonated most and got good results. Especially in a visual category like food, video is what the people want, what they click on and are motivated by.

Source: MLA