B+LNZ emerging markets manager Nick Beeby said in-store tasting of Kiwi lamb formed the third plank of the awareness campaign in Germany.
The past 12 months had resulted in 1500 days of in-store tastings throughout Germany, well up on the initial 30 days when the programme kicked off six years ago.
“The feedback from the supply chain was that there was real benefit in promoting what is basically a niche protein in this market. Research has shown we also drive up sales, compared to the same day a year before by 200-400% in-store.”
Such live displays had helped significantly in removing the myth that lamb was somehow hard to prepare and cook, while also reinforcing NZ as a reliable and regular source of high-quality lamb cuts.
The past year has also seen a deliberate foray into the social media sector to lift lamb’s profile in Germany. While the results may prove more difficult to quantify in direct sales-dollars returned, Beeby is confident B+LNZ is underscoring the profile the in-store cooking displays have created.
Using Facebook provided some direct feedback on consumer response to posted subjects in terms of “likes” recorded.
This can amount to anywhere from 170-1000 responses for each event. There was also some insight into what German consumers were seeking when buying the relatively low-profile red meat.
“Initially thoughts were that consumers would want to know the story behind NZ lamb, but firstly they wanted inspirational ideas on how to prepare and cook lamb.”
The challenge is to try to combine some elements of the lamb story with meal ideas.
“We now speak to 15,000 people twice a week about NZ lamb and that to me has to translate into some interest and doing something for awareness and perception.”
Beeby said the key to a successful social media marketing campaign was to have a strategy and to remain persistent.
From left, Hawke’s Bay farmer Danny Angland and German chefs Martin Schraff and Christian Mittermeir cook off Master Chef style.
Integrating the link between the story and the product’s preparation and cooking has been the fledgling ambassador chef programme. At considerable expense B+LNZ flew four up-and-coming German chefs to NZ to provide them with some insights and inspiration for cooking NZ lamb.
The four Michelin star chefs were flown down to engage their skills, but more importantly their ability to network with industry and consumers back in Germany about the NZ attributes of Kiwi lamb.
“We have always been recognised as the premium sheep meat suppliers globally but we are having to do more to maintain that as competitors up their game. The Welsh, for example, [are] pushing into the Middle East. This was an attempt to counter that.”
The chefs were all affiliated to a Top 60 restaurant network in Germany.
“We did not need to teach them how to cook lamb. It was to teach them what made NZ special as a source for the lamb.”
The tour included a visit to a large Maori station, a processing plant, and a farmer-chef Master Chef-type barbecue cooking competition.
“The level of intensity around the competition was high, and I think surprised the farmers involved, and both chefs and farmers got a lot out of it,” Beeby said.
