Campaign Helps Introduce New US Beef Cut in Taiwan

TAIWAN - Promoting US beef tri-tip as a new steak cut in the Taiwanese market and working to increase US beef sales for the country’s foodservice operators, USMEF organized "2018 Steaklicious US Beef Steak Month".
calendar icon 18 July 2018
clock icon 3 minute read


A Taiwanese chef commissioned by USMEF prepares US beef tri-tip at a press conference to launch the Steaklicious US Beef Steak campaign [Photo: USMEF]

The campaign, which involved more than 100 restaurants in Taipei City, New Taipei City and Taichung City, was funded by the Texas Beef Council and the Beef Checkoff Program.

"The goal was to reach a wider audience and deliver more tailored messages to them about US beef and, specifically, US beef steak," said Davis Wu, USMEF director in Taiwan.

"We cooperated with more than 40 foodservice brands classified into four categories separated by price range and brand type. Each category – Steak For You, My Happiness Steak Time, Special Steak Menu and Secret Edition Steak – had a specially-designed promotion throughout the month-long campaign."

According to Mr Wu, Taiwanese consumers have two primary associations when it comes to US beef: grain-fed deliciousness and versatility. US beef steak addresses both of those qualities.

"That’s very important because steak has become highly popular among consumers in Taiwan," he said.

"We’ve had foodservice operators tell us they serve steak items in their restaurants merely because of the feedback from customers.

"Even though the price of a steak is usually higher than other meat dishes in most restaurants, it remains in high demand."

This affinity for steak led USMEF to develop "Steaklicious" as the name of its first steak-themed promotion in Taiwan. A press conference was held at a participating steakhouse prior to the launch, with journalists from 23 media outlets invited.

A chef commissioned by USMEF demonstrated US beef tri-tip steak and more than 40 media references to the event resulted. 


Davis Wu, USMEF director in Taiwan, conducts a press conference launching the Steaklicious campaign [Photo: USMEF]

Specific promotions for the campaign’s four categories were as follows:

  • Steak For You featured a scratch card campaign that allowed consumers to collect restaurant coupons while gaining knowledge of USDA’s beef grading system.

  • My Happiness Steak Time included an online interactive game in which consumers received customized recommendations on individual restaurants, along with coupons to the restaurant.

  • Special Steak Menu took place at high-end steakhouses that provided steaks as the centerpiece of limited menus.

  • Secret Edition Steak focused on US.beef tri-tip, a new cut introduced to the market in 2018. Two new tri-tip dishes and a promotional video helped with the launch.

USMEF built and managed an official "2018 Steaklicious! US Beef Steak Month" website to help publicize the campaign: www.usbeefsteak.com.tw. Event information was posted on the USMEF-Taiwan Facebook page.


An event website developed by USMEF for the Steaklicious US Beef Steak campaign attracted consumers to the participating restaurants [Photo: USMEF]

USMEF has worked diligently to take advantage of the food culture in Taiwan, launching several successful campaigns over the past few years, including Beef Bowl Month in 2015 and 2016, Barbecue Month in 2016 and 2017 and the Hot Pot Month in 2017.

Mr Wu confirmed that the Steaklicious campaign had similar success, noting that foodservice operators surveyed after the event overwhelmingly believed it strengthened the positive image of US beef.

It also won over Taiwan’s steak lovers.

"The managers of the restaurants reported sales of steaks grew two to three times during the USMEF promotion," Mr Wu said. "They believe our event played an important role and helped influence customers to choose the US beef steak items on their menus."

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