Hot Pot Events Designed to Grow US Beef's Market Share in Taiwan
TAIWAN - Promoting US beef as the best option for hot pot dishes in Taiwan, USMEF teamed with restaurants in Taipei to organize themed events covered by both traditional and social media.Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and the Beef Checkoff Program, the US Beef Hot Pot events reached thousands of consumers with messages about US beef’s quality and versatility. USMEF is a subcontractor of the Beef Checkoff.
"We organized different types of campaigns involving restaurants that serve hot pot dishes and held media gatherings that resulted in exposure on television and in newspaper, magazine and web-based articles," said Davis Wu, USMEF director in Taiwan.
"Our efforts appeared on the news channel TNN, which did a story on hot pot trends. We also generated social media buzz to expand awareness of US beef as the top choice for hot pot."
USMEF also introduced consumers to ethnic and creative hot pot restaurants that are loyal users of US beef. Media gatherings were held at the hot pot restaurants with different themes: Thai, herbal and spicy.
Chris Frederick, director of the US Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Taipei, and Cleo Fu, agriculture marketing specialist of the ATO, participated in each media event.
Following the gatherings, UDN news, one of the major media outlets in Taiwan, inquired if USMEF could provide further information about US beef. USMEF staff arranged an interview with UDN journalists focusing on educating Taiwanese consumers about the correct names of popular US beef cuts and the best way to enjoy US beef when preparing and serving hot pot.
There were seven US beef cuts highlighted in the interview: top blade, chuck flap, boneless chuck short ribs, boneless short ribs, heel muscle and ribeye. Pastrami was also showcased. The UDN story can be found here).
TNN produced a video on the hot pot event.
"Educating consumers in Taiwan about US beef is the first and most important step toward growing the market," said Wu, who noted that Taiwan’s beef self-sufficiency rate is only four percent, so the country is highly reliant on imports.
"The US currently holds a very strong share of the market, but there is tremendous potential to grow that share even more. There is also intense competition, so it’s important to defend US share every chance we get."
TheCattleSite News Desk