<b>By NANCY VORIS<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b> </p><p>

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Happy trails, Sam Elliott. There’s a new guy in town.<br>

The Beef Checkoff Program is building on its highly successful Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. campaign to reach a new audience. A new creative campaign is being launched that meets the challenge of how to stay relevant with today’s consumers while staying true to the brand. Hopefully, that will translate to more dollars in the pockets of cattle producers, the goal of the beef checkoff.<br>

First introduced in 1992, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is one of the most recognizable taglines in advertising history, made more memorable because of actor Elliott’s trademark western drawl. The gritty voice alone brought to mind images of dusty trail rides and beef sizzling over an open fire.<br>

But soon consumers will recognize the southern drawl of Matthew McConaughey in the new radio spots called “Gone Eatin’,” a twist on the leisurely “gone fishin’.” Organizers say the young actor’s voice “embodies the qualities unique to beef: passion, protein and strength.”<br>

The famed Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. tagline – recognized by more than 86 percent of Americans – and Aaron Copland’s familiar “rodeo” music will remain a part of the campaign.<br>

The new “Powerful Beefscapes” campaign introduces consumers to a new tagline, Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef, appealing to health-conscious consumers who make beef the number-one protein choice in restaurants. Photos in print advertisements incorporate cuts of beef into landscapes with recipes, such as the “canyon” ad with Crumb-Crusted Sirloin and Roasted Garlic Potatoes with Bourbon Sauce.<br>

Previously, the beef industry split resources into two ad campaigns – one focusing on beef’s nutritional profile and the other on consumers’ passion for beef.<br>

“Through consumer research, we saw that we could deliver a single campaign that lives at the intersection of what drives consumers’ protein selection: the eating experience and how it fuels the body,” said Joe Moore, IBC’s marketing and consumer education director. “Beef is the protein people crave most and beef is an excellent source of protein, which fuels strength and energy for the body.”<br>

The first print advertisement hit the pages of Fitness magazine’s February issue and will show up soon in additional consumer magazines, such as Cooking Light, People and Parents. With a budget of roughly $15 million, the campaign encourages Americans to Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef and will reach 86 percent of the consumer target via radio, billboards and 39 national consumer magazines in 2008.<br>

“By leveraging checkoff dollars, we were able to create a campaign to remind consumers that they can, indeed, reclaim the dinner they love,” said John Dudley, beef producer from Comanche, Texas, and former chair of the beef checkoff’s advertising committee.
The beef checkoff process starts at the state level, where $1 is collected on each head of cattle and calves sold. <br>

Fifty cents goes to the national organization, and 50 cents is retained in the state for promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications.