September 29,  2020

Instagram campaign in Japan focused on ease of cooking US beef

Using social media as an educational tool, the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) launched an Instagram campaign in Japan that led consumers through simple steps to cook US roast beef using a frying pan in their own kitchens.

"This campaign has been a very effective way to educate consumers about cooking roast beef and USMEF's message was simple: the quality of US beef offers several tasty options when it comes to family meals and all you need is a stovetop and a frying pan," said Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF director in Japan.

"We received a lot of positive feedback from people who found the lesson very valuable. Using Instagram and other social media outlets to promote US beef is a smart way to operate during the pandemic because more people are using social media to look for meal ideas and the positive reactions are shared over and over across various channels."

Instagrammers who follow USMEF's social media accounts in Japan were asked to post comments and photos of their own US roast beef dishes. More than 200,000 users of the social media platform were reached in the effort. Funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, the campaign also attracted new followers to USMEF's accounts, including several social media "influencers" – users who have large followings and a certain amount of influence over consumers' shopping behaviors.

"We heard from consumers who had never tried US beef but because of this campaign, they tried the frying pan method and were impressed by US roast beef and the dishes that were shared," said Yamashoji.

- USMEF