After months of work to create a distinct brand, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association unveiled new logos Aug. 13.
Not all customers will see the same one.
One logo, which will appear on beef packaging, pamphlets and other material to promote Canadian cattle and beef, will be used for Canada and the United States. A different one will be used for the rest of the world.
The logo for Asia, Mexico and other markets features a swoosh symbol, a red maple leaf and an illustration of a cow’s face to the right of the maple leaf. Under the swoosh are the words Canada Beef.
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The logo targeting Canada and the U.S. has two differences. The words are Canadian Beef and there is no image of a cow.
Dave Andrews, chair of the Canadian Cattlemen Market Development Council, a CCA body with a mandate to recover and expand markets for Canadian beef and cattle genetics, showed off the new logos last week during a presentation at the CCA’s convention in Winnipeg.
The association must proceed with more legal steps before it can license the new trademark or release it to media for general viewing.
Bluesette Campbell, a rancher from Meadow Lake, Sask., was the only CCA delegate at the convention to ask about the logos. She wanted to know about the absence of the cow’s head on the logo designed to promote Canadian cattle here and in the U.S.
“I find it comical that North Americans can’t stomach having an animal on a label, that they can’t handle the relationship between animal to dinner,” said Campbell.
Andrews said the absence of the cow image is based on marketing research into the preferences of North American consumers.
“There is a thought and some research to support this, that in Canada and the U.S. consumers are less willing to identify the beef they eat with an actual image of the animal,” he said.
The market development council was created in 2005 to oversee the Legacy Fund, created by a $30 million contribution from the Alberta government, $50 million from the federal government and producer checkoffs representing $80 million over 10 years.
As part of its mandate to help Canada rebound from the BSE crisis, the council has developed the Canadian Beef Advantage – a branding strategy to differentiate Canada’s cattle and beef and increase international sales.
The logos will be the face of that branding strategy, but even after Andrews’ answer, Campbell didn’t understand the absence of a cow on the Canadian and U.S. version of the logo.
“I don’t think we should be embarrassed about it (raising animals),” she said.
“We have to sell the product, but why not educate the consumer … so they’re not afraid of an animal being on their dinner plate?”
Glenn Brand, chief executive officer of the Beef Information Centre, said the dual logo decision was based on on-line surveys and BIC’s knowledge of U.S. and Canadian consumers.
“Since 1973, BIC has had consumer research that has clearly demonstrated that it’s more effective to associate a photograph of the finished product, that can create the appetite appeal and stimulate the senses to enhance demand for beef. It’s (more effective) than an artist’s graphical depiction of an animal head.”
Karin Wittenberg, associate dean of the faculty of agriculture at the University of Manitoba, said the dual logos are a pragmatic decision, given the marketplace in Canada and the U.S.
“What Dave (Andrews) was trying to say was when the North Americans were targeted, they (the public) simply want to know that they have a safe, high-quality food product,” said Wittenberg, who attended the CCA convention.
“They don’t really want to know the details of how it got there. In other cultures, the view is different.”
Wittenberg hopes U of M initiatives such as the Glenlea Farm Education Centre will pass on the science and practices of raising livestock and bridge the gap between the gate and the plate.
However, she concedes that it may be too late to change the minds of this generation of adults so it’s better to focus education campaigns on the young.
“I think over the years we’ve learned that people whose minds have been made up … when they’re 30, 40 or 50 years old, it’s very difficult to change those attitudes.”
