Contacts:          Stephanie Darling   303/850-3359    sdarling@beef.org
                        Diane Henderson   303/850-3465    dhenderson@beefboard.org)

      New Veal Ad Catches Attention Of Foodservice Operators

  Checkoff ad and new tagline land above-average recall score in trade magazine  

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Nov. 29, 2006) – A new beef checkoff-funded veal advertisement featuring a veal burger in a national foodservice publication drew a combined 99 percent recall score, compared to a survey average of 88 percent ad recall, during a recent AdStudy©Report by Signet Research Inc., Cliffside Park, N.J. The new ad, created and tested by the Schafer Condon Carter agency, also features veal pizza, veal pasta and veal porterhouse menu concepts for upscale casual dining operators.  

The veal ad received a 54 percent recall rating and a 44 percent reading recall rating, compared to 48 percent and 40 percent, respectively, for other food ads appearing in Restaurant Hospitality magazine, according to Signet’s AdStudy©Scores. The score measures ad exposure, calculated by adding the recall percentages for both seeing and reading the ad. The ad uses the beef checkoff’s new veal tagline, “Veal. Explore the Possibilities.”  

“The ad not only got a lot of attention, the concept resonated with fine dining and casual dining theme restaurants, which is exactly who we are targeting,” said Pat Kilsdonk, Wisconsin veal producer and newly appointed chairman of the checkoff’s Joint Veal Committee. “Respondents liked the ad’s sensory appeal, and it’s apparently getting them to think about veal as a new twist to their menus,” he added.     

Signet said the online survey’s reader profile consisted primarily of company officers representing casual dining/theme restaurants, especially independent and local/independent chain outlets. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they had purchased a product or service advertised in the magazine.  

The checkoff’s current veal ad campaign began in June 2006 and will continue through 2007 in national publications, in addition to marketing efforts by state beef councils and veal packer/processor partners.