Tradition and Quality of European Meat

Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (UPEMI)

The Challenge

Tradition and Quality of European Meat, a campaign organized by Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (UPEMI) lasts for 36 months from July 2013 to July 2016. A rich tradition and high quality of European meat and processed products sets them apart from the competition and active promotion activities were required to let the Korean market know such valuable assets of the European continent. Korea is a critical trading partner for European pork and beef producers. They are particularly interested in the Korean market because Korean importers have doubled their efforts to import meat driven by the hikes in meat prices at the end of 2013. The media activities highlighting the higher quality and safety of European meat to Korean consumers were needed.

The Solution

PR House was put in charge of the planning and operation of the overall program to ensure a successful campaign. An integrated communication program was developed to make use of multiple communication channels including advertisement targeting the public, a press conference designed to deliver objective information via the media, a seminar and banquet for people in the industry interested in meat imports, and participation in food exposition.

Advertisement efforts included target-oriented media planning, subway advertisement to draw interest and participation from the public and continuous information updates on the website minimizing any potential gaps in communication.

A cooking show with ChanOh Lee, a chef previously working for a 3 Michelin-starred restaurant and Dariusz Zahorański, a champion chef from Europe was held to gather interest from the media. This was aimed at spreading the rich tradition and excellent quality of European meat.

A seminar and one-to-one business meetings were also organized to offer practical business opportunities to meat importers, distributors and other business people. In addition, a study tour was conducted through which Korean importer could learn first-hand the standardized system of the European meat, a source of the unique and great taste.

Media relations programs were planned and conducted with all round marketing and communication elements to enhance awareness of European meat and expand business opportunities for importers, contributing to establishing a positive relationship between Korea and the EU in export/import of meat and meat processed products.

The Result

For four days, some 40,000 visitors made their way to the Tradition and Quality of European Meat campaign hall during the Food Week Korea 2014 in November. A seminar and a banquet attracted over 200 business and related people. Such high interest in the campaign was also visible in the well-attended press conference where marketing and communication activities were designed to maximize the interest from the public as well as the industry.

Moving away from a traditional press conference usually characterized as a one-way information delivery channel, star chefs from Korea and Europe were invited to highlight the high quality of European meat. It also provided an opportunity to learn the food culture of Korea and Europe using European meat.

This was seen as a media activity that not only brought more visibility to the merits and distinct features of European meat but also turned the trade of meat into that of cuisine and culture with greater understanding of eating culture of each other.