Canada Beef launches three-year business plan
As strategic roadmaps go, the Canada Beef website is a visual feast of scenic Canadian landscapes. But officials with the independent organization, which represents the marketing and promotion of the Canadian cattle and beef industry worldwide, hope the videos and online materials presented there will also provide beef producers and supply chain partners with some solid food for thought about Canada Beef's all-out drive to build consumer brand loyalty. The online initiative is part of the group’s new three-year approach to business planning. "We consider ourselves a catalyst for the entire value chain," Canada Beef president Rob Meijer is quoted as saying in a release. "Over the next three years, the Canadian beef brand will become emotionally embedded into the minds of our partners." Developed with input from grassroots producers, retailers, food services, processors and other partners in the Canadian beef supply chain, the new strategy is based on four pillars of the Canadian beef brand: producer, product, world class standards and sustainability. That strategy has led to recent innovations like the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence, as well as the Roundup app, the MakeItBeef.ca website, and the development of Canada Beef's social media platforms. The Canada Beef web properties will undergo a massive facelift in the coming year, as well as refreshed digital strategy aimed at consumers, stakeholders and industry worldwide will also be developed over the coming year under the new business plan. For Canada Beef's director of marketing, this long-term approach to business planning is better suited to a fluid industry like beef, which is doing well right now but has faced many serious challenges since 2000. "The drawback of yearly plans is that the markets may have longer term issues that need to be addressed," Dwayne Ellard told Canadian Grocer. "Now we make three-year commitments with our partners