Partnerships key to sales of U.S. short ribs and short plate in Korea
Promotions reduced inventory levels and introduced new products to consumers.
Robust purchasing of U.S. short ribs and short plate at the end of last year in Korea resulted in high inventory levels, which slowed imports to start 2023. Following meetings with the trade about their purchasing plans and U.S. beef inventories, USMEF pitched an aggressive marketing campaign to key importers that included compelling retail price incentives for U.S. short ribs and short plate during March to increase sales and reduce product inventories.
“Korea imports large volumes of specific U.S. cuts such as short ribs and short plate and through our meetings with importers, we realized that high inventory levels were affecting their purchasing plans,” said Korea Director Junil Park. “We saw this as an opportunity to propose an integrated retail campaign to the trade.”
Promotions for U.S. short ribs and short plate were implemented at 263 large-scale outlets of three retail chains during the first half of March. With inflation having a substantial impact on household budgets in Korea, consumer response exceeded expectations as participating retailers experienced large sales increases.
The retail promotions also enabled USMEF to execute on its strategy to expand the number of further processed products made with short rib and short plate that are available to consumers in the retail sector. Marinated home-meal and restaurant-meal-replacement products were also featured during the promotions.
“Korean consumers typically use short ribs and short plate for a limited number of dishes and the promotions helped us present new, convenient meal ideas for these versatile cuts,” added Park.
USMEF implemented samplings at several retail outlets and supported the promotions through news releases, advertorials, a collaboration with a popular morning TV show and the development of original content on USMEF social media channels. New recipe ideas highlighting the versatility of the two cuts were featured throughout the campaign.
Funding support for the promotions and integrated marketing campaign was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program, Texas Beef Council, Iowa Corn Promotion Board and USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion program.
Source: U.S. Meat Export Federation
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