Nathan Guy responds to the accusation the red meat industry hasn't done enough, or showed the sticking power necessary, to build its brand internationally

Throughout my political career, I fronted in global markets on behalf of our farmers and I know how sought after our products are.

But we always need to look at ways to work smarter to ensure our products remain at the forefront of consumers’ purchasing decisions and that’s not easy against such stiff and well-funded competition.

There’s no doubt the last 18 months have been tough for the red meat sector, with many factors influencing financial returns.

The resulting frustration is understandable, but claims made in the Allan Barber column are overly simplistic and underestimate the challenges of international consumer engagement. 

Global markets are dynamic with many factors influencing customer and consumer purchasing decisions. A good marketing strategy understands this and must balance consistency with adaptability. That is what the red meat sector is coming together to do.

Framing the decision to shift from the UK and US to China as a failure is also incorrect. Market conditions change, and businesses must adapt. In this situation for example, the UK market became more competitive, and China was paying higher prices -- adapting to these realities is not bad marketing, it makes good business sense.

Modern consumers, especially in premium markets, care about differentiation, sustainability, and provenance. They are not looking for a generic label. Red meat exporters have responded to this, and their marketing has evolved to include branded storytelling, such as grass-fed, nature-based and full of nutrition.

Criticism for past marketing efforts for being discontinued fails to acknowledge that brand building is a long-term process. Effective marketing requires sustained investment and patience -- consumers do not change their purchasing habits overnight.

Meat exporters are experienced operating in-market and have been investing in customer relationships for decades, using this experience to best target the limited funds available.

Brand positioning in new markets, especially premium ones, can take years to gain traction. Successful campaigns often evolve and improve before returns are realised. The sector has taken a lot from the first phase of Taste Pure Nature (TPN) and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd has laid a solid foundation for meat processors to carry forward into the next phase of this work.

In early 2024, it became obvious that the same approach would not shift the dial in the face of economic headwinds the sector is experiencing. Market research backed this up, indicating that TPN Phase 1 had gone as far as it could in the current environment, and the time was right to shift to a processor-driven and market informed approach.

While this is a joint effort between processors, each company has their own marketing programmes and has fostered relationships with customers and consumers for decades. The sector has built a robust trading strategy, with access in well over 100 markets. However, we cannot turn our back on the opportunities that exist within China, where New Zealand’s market share for red meat has been tested over the last 18 months.

For this next phase of TPN, the sector is coming together, alongside government, to adjust our approach to cut through our competitors’ campaigns with targeted and creative marketing that converts social media impressions into the purchase of New Zealand beef and lamb products.

New Zealand has a solid reputation worldwide as a supplier of high quality and great tasting beef and lamb to the world. However, we are also facing stiff competition in market with sophisticated marketing campaigns from other nations.

Our unique environment makes conditions ripe for year-round pastoral-based farming systems that makes us a complementary trading partner with many Northern Hemisphere markets.

We need to make sure we continue to promote our naturally unique attributes, to avoid getting lost in the noise of our competitors’ campaigns. Doing what has been done previously isn’t enough and we must be adaptable and responsive to market drivers.

This will take time, but only by working together will we be able to shift the dial to increase returns for the sector.

*Nathan Guy is the Meat Industry Association independent Chairperson. This article is here as a response to Allan Barber's critique of the red meat sector's marketing strategies.

Current schedule and saleyard prices are available in the right-hand menu of the Rural section of this website.