THE £1.2 million national consumer campaign from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), AHDB and Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) which encourages consumers to “Make It” with beef, has launched this week.

Running for 12 weeks, the campaign includes sponsoring key slots on Channel 5, advertising on ITV Hub and Sky on Demand, online features on the Daily Mail website – the most visited website in the world, features in national and regional newspapers, digital advertising, radio and social media. It will also be supported with ‘how to’ videos and cooking tips, and influencer-driven content.

Retailers will also support the campaign at point of purchase, including stickered packs, shelf advertising and website banners for consumers shopping online.

The campaign aims to inspire consumers to create restaurant-style meals in the comfort of their own home, using a variety of hindquarter cuts. It will reach 85 per cent of UK households and deliver a three-to-one return on investment, well above the industry average.

The advertising is a joint response to carcase balance challenges faced by the beef supply chain in the wake of Covid-19, which has seen a surge in demand for beef mince in supermarkets. Meanwhile some more expensive cuts, more commonly favoured in restaurants, have seen demand plummet as the lockdown has taken hold.

The campaign is being funded from the £2 million fund of AHDB red meat levies ring-fenced for collaborative projects which is managed by the three GB meat levy bodies – QMS, AHDB and HCC.

The ring-fenced fund is an interim arrangement while a long-term solution is sought on the issue of levies being collected at point of slaughter in England for animals which have been reared in Scotland or Wales.