Beef. On the Menu & In the Meat Case.

From menu ideation to national club store partnerships, the Beef Checkoff's Channel Marketing team works behind the scenes to help partners sell more beef and sell it better.

What is Channel Marketing?

A consumer sees a Beef. It's What's For Dinner. recipe and image on a national club store website. A steakhouse launches a new menu item. A retailer educates staff on beef quality, cooking and nutrition. How do these projects get off the ground? Through valued partnerships with the Checkoff-funded Channel Marketing program at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

What's important to keep in mind is that the majority of beef must go through a channel partner to ultimately get to the consumer. A "channel partner" is any business that helps connect beef with consumers after it leaves production - including grocery retailers, restaurants, distributors, manufacturers and e-commerce platforms. That's why it's so important for the beef industry to cultivate relationships with these partners. What many producers don't see is the years of relationship-building, education, culinary ideation and partnership development that often happen behind the scenes before beef ever reaches the consumer in a new way.

Working Across the Marketplace

The Channel Marketing team works with partners across the beef supply chain to help keep beef visible where consumers shop and dine nationwide. Here's a look at just some of the brands that work with NCBA's Channel Marketing team through the Beef Checkoff.

Foodservice

• Brinker International
• Fatburger
• Texas Roadhouse
• Bloomin' Brands
• Panera Bread
• McDonalds
• Red Robin

Retail

• Walmart
• Sam's Club
• Costco
• Albertsons
• Kroger

Distribution & Manufacturing

• Sysco
• US Foods
• Performance Foodservice
• UniPro Foodservice
• Branding Iron
• Stampede Meat

Supporting Beef's Visibility

Channel Marketing partnerships provide a range of tools and resources designed to keep beef visible, relevant and inspiring to consumers - both in-store and online. The team works with partners to support:

• Product pages and online beef education
• Point-of-purchase materials (including in-store signage, labeling and shopper education)
• Digital campaigns
• Online shopping tools and promotions on retailer apps

These efforts help connect consumers with beef wherever they shop and make purchase decisions.

How Partnerships Happen

Channel Marketing partnerships don't happen overnight. Some projects may come together in a matter of weeks, while others can take months - or even years - to move from initial conversations to launch.

The process often begins with Channel Marketing working closely with partners to understand their business, priorities, and the challenges and opportunities they face. Whether it's helping a retailer better educate shoppers about beef cuts and preparation, supporting a restaurant chain as it explores new menu ideas or manages cost pressures, or equipping distributors with training for sales teams, these efforts are developed in partnership to meet each partner's unique needs. From there, the Channel Marketing team works alongside partners to help provide solutions and resources through:

• Market Research
  • Consumer trends and preferences
  • Sales data and shopper insights
  • Weekly wholesale price updates
• Cut Resources
  • Cut charts, videos and guides
  • Product quality research and information
  • Nutritional data and resources
• Beef Production
  • Sustainability and animal welfare
  • Online training programs (Beef U)
  • Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)
• Marketing Materials
  • Raw and cooked imagery
  • Infographics and fact sheets
  • Resources and education for consumers

Throughout the process, the focus remains on helping partners better understand, market and sell beef while keeping beef visible and competitive in the marketplace.

Even after a campaign or menu item launches, the relationship often continues through ongoing education, content support and collaboration as consumer trends and business needs evolve.

From Idea to Menu

Here are some real examples of how the Channel Marketing team helped channel partners solve problems and drive beef sales.

Problem: A foodservice chain partner needed to identify cost-effective menu options amid rising beef prices while maintaining consistency with their existing offerings.

Solution: The Channel Marketing team evaluated alternative cuts that could seamlessly integrate into current dishes without compromising quality or guest experience, providing practical solutions aligned to the foodservice chain's operational and financial goals.

Problem: A leading burger chain needed help expanding and introducing quality beef offerings.

Solution: The Channel Marketing team facilitated a culinary ideation session focused on relevant cuts, emerging trends and evolving consumer preferences. They prepared six on-site dish concepts for live evaluation and delivered additional ideas for continued exploration.

"A lot of the work we do happens long before consumers ever see the final product in a restaurant, grocery store or online. These partnerships are built over time through education, collaboration and helping our partners find practical ways to keep beef visible and competitive in the marketplace." - Jill Rittenberg, senior executive director of channel marketing at NCBA.

Support Behind the Scenes

Much of the work happening throughout the process isn't always consumer-facing. From training and education to production tours, the Beef News Now e-newsletter, and other communications like the Beef Means Business LinkedIn channel, Channel Marketing works to provide partners with tools, education and resources that help them better understand and market beef.

In Fiscal Year 2025, the Channel Marketing team reached 250+ channel decision makers through:

• 6 beef production tours
• 4 culinary ideation sessions
• 10 educational sessions and trainings

Additional educational and digital outreach efforts continue to expand the program's reach across the supply chain with:

• 5,000 Beef U graduates annually
• 4,200+ newsletter subscribers
• 45%+ newsletter open rate

From restaurant menus and retail meat cases to digital shopping tools and operator trainings, Channel Marketing efforts help keep beef present where purchasing decisions are made.