Beef Checkoff Names Northeast ‘Tailgate With Beef’ Winner

The 2nd Annual 2011 Fall tailgating retail beef promotion (“Tailgate With Beef”), coordinated by the Beef Checkoff through its Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), has awarded a grand prize of a 32-inch LCD HDTV and $250 in free groceries to Jerry Spike, a shopper at Parsippany, N.J.-based Kings Super Markets. Runners-up received $50 gift card provided by each participating retailer.

The promotion enabled shoppers to “Invite the MVP (Most Valuable Protein) to their tailgating party and enjoy the value of protein-packed beef.” The Bedford, Pa.-based NEBPI joined with 157 retail locations, a 38 percent increase from 2010 in retail participation, throughout the Northeast to launch the promotion, which ran from Sept. 12 through Nov. 30, 2011. Point-of-sale materials displayed in the retail meat case included shelf wobblers and brochures featuring middle-meat and beef value cuts recipes, as well as information on beef’s nutritional benefits. Retailers also highlighted the promotion in their weekly ad circulars and on their websites in an effort to encourage shoppers to enter to win.

The promotion received additionally publicity through radio advertisements in select Northeast metro markets, along with a direct mail value sheet insert and geo-targeted Web advertising.

When asked what recipes and cuts of beef he and his wife enjoy best, Spike, a resident of Guttenburg, N.J., who shops at Kings’ Hillsdale, N.J., store, replied that they like steaks the most, especially porterhouse and prime rib roasts. “My wife likes to experiment with different recipes and add marinades and a variety of seasonings to the cuts,” he noted. “I also believe beef plays an important role in our active lifestyles. I’ve been a ‘beef man’ since childhood and feel it is a necessary part of our diet.”

The Beef Checkoff is administered through the Centennial, Colo.-based Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board.