A real marketing opportunity for Aberdeen-Angus was revealed at the National Primestock Show at Bingley Hall, Stafford.

photo courtesy www.livestock-sales.co.uk

A television advertising campaign by Marks and Spencer has boosted demand for Aberdeen-Angus prime cattle by 170 head per week, M and S agricultural technologist, Rob Cumine, told a full house of beef producers at a show seminar hosted by the Aberdeen-Angus Beef Club.

Mr Cumine said research had shown that the average family had seen the television advertisement for Aberdeen-Angus beef four times and had helped increase sales of Aberdeen-Angus from 20% to 40% of all M and S beef sales.

"Before the television advertising campaign was launched in the summer, we needed an average of 350 Aberdeen-Angus cattle a week to satisfy nation-wide demand," said Mr Cumine. "But this has increased by 170 head a week. We had to stop the campaign at that point because we couldn't find any more cattle."

And Mr Cumine said price had not been mentioned once during the campaign. The focus was entirely on quality.

Marks and Spencer's ideals of quality, value, service, innovation and trust applied to all aspects of food retailing, including Aberdeen-Angus, and were the keystones to the phenomenal expansion of Aberdeen-Angus beef sales in M and S stores.

The High Street retailer prioritised issues such as quality and trust rather than competing with other supermarkets on price.

"The Marks and Spencer brand is over 100 years old," Mr Cumine pointed out. "It is one of the most trusted brands out there and during food scares, such as BSE, foot-and-mouth and, dare I say it, bird flu, food sales actually go up in M and S stores as it is such an iconic brand."

Mr Cumine suggested trust and quality were two of the most important issues when considering British beef, especially in the current climate of foreign imports. Aberdeen-Angus could equal Marks and Spencer in terms of long established tradition which helped accentuate all the other positive traits.

Innovation was vital to Marks and Spencer in expanding food sales. The company's 'Simply Food' stores stocked 3500 lines and one third were new or improved every year.

"Innovation is a huge driver to keep the customer coming back," he said.

Marks and Spencer firmly believes that Aberdeen-Angus beef offers the customer the best in terms of eating quality but additional steps are taken to ensure a premium product is offered.

"We believe there is a difference between Aberdeen-Angus per se and Aberdeen-Angus at Marks and Spencer," said Mr Cumine. "Our Aberdeen-Angus beef comes only from suckler bred heifers and steers - no bull beef is used - that are sired by an Aberdeen-Angus and preferably finished off grass. Carcases are hung for 21 days to ensure maturation."

The average steer handled by the retailer weighs 304kg deadweight with a R4L grade. "That's exactly the spot where we like our Aberdeen-Angus to be," said Mr Cumine. Heifers weigh an average of 270kg with an O+4H grade or better.

M and S still has massive plans for Aberdeen-Angus products in the future. Mr Cumine said he wants to further improve the quality of the product and further differentiate it from other Aberdeen-Angus products.

He would like to develop Aberdeen-Angus in the same way as Marks and Spencer has successfully developed Oakham chicken, a product which is exclusive to the retailer and reared in a specific way with a unique diet.

"My challenge is to Oakham-ise Aberdeen-Angus beef," he said.

Mr Cumine believes an opportunity exists for Marks and Spencer to develop contracts with Aberdeen-Angus beef producers similar to existing contracts with 75 dairy farmers.

"Quality, value, service, innovation and trust," said Mr Cumine. "These are the words you see as soon as you walk into Marks and Spencer head office. That's what we've done. It's working and it's not very complicated."

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