Branded beef, relevant, or irrelevant; do consumers want it, or is this an idea that producers have bought into, in hopes of increasing the cash flows to their personal accounts? Second, is there enough ways to differentiate from one brand of beef to another brand, and thereby gain a sufficient portion of the market to fund a label's challenge in constantly increasing the quality of one's product, to keep ahead of the curve? I shall try to address these questions, and others in this paper, while stating my personal view point on the whole topic.
Producers and consumers; the ever lacking relationship that should be addressed before moving on to new topics. One side always seems to know more about the other, when in all reality, neither one knows a single thing about the other because they don't want to take the time to ask the questions, that may provide the needed feedback to make the cycle work in a more efficient manner. Maybe for one reason, or another, we make conclusions that we believe to be correct and hope for a desired outcome that will best benefit ourselves. Sometimes this works, while other times, it doesn't. How about the beef industry? Can we assume what is needed, and try new ideas in hopes of an answer, when in all actuality; there may not be a question at all?.
Personally, I see it, as producers always seem to know what the consumer wants. While at the same time, the consumer believes they know more about how the producers are running operations, than they, the producers, know themselves. This lack of information creates confusion for both parties and places us in a push, or pull, marketing system. Conversely, I am not saying that the idea of branding beef products lies in one category or the other, I do believe that there are opportunities for both sides to familiarize themselves with the other's perspective.
The idea of branding products is not new, nor will this be the last attempt at winning a market share through this technique, but does it work for beef? Statistically speaking, branding, or labeling, of beef products is the least concerning factor for consumers when shopping for products, as stated in a U.