These great people carry out the work of the brand.
CAB Mythbusters
What they thought they knew that just ain't true.
Sometimes I have a hard time explaining my job. First off, I'm an agricultural journalist by training, which is a foreign term to many. My husband is an agronomist, which generates many more blank stares. People usually have heard of a journalist, just not of the ag variety.
Then I tell them that I write about everything to do with cows: the cattle industry and topics like weaning, carcass grading and feedlot performance. That leaves many dazed and confused, but, even among the cattle community, I often have one more hurdle. It can be really hard to explain that I work for a nonprofit branded beef company.
These discussions happen almost any time I meet somebody new and for those who are really trying to understand what CAB is and does (rather than nodding politely), it usually leads to this little misunderstanding.
Myth: If you don't sell product, then you're just an advertising agency.
Fact: We don't shy away from the fact that, in essence, we are a marketing company, but we do a whole lot more than just advertise.
CAB Headquarters, Wooster, Ohio
Just ask my colleagues who work with foodservice and retail partners, those in customer service or brand assurance. Or how about all of us on this team you've gotten to know as "Supply Development?"
Everything that we (all 100 or so of us) do for the brand is to advance our mission: Increase demand for registered Angus cattle through a specification-based, branded-beef program to identify consistent, high-quality beef with superior taste.
That means there are people in our marketing and graphic departments who spend part of their time working on advertising, but it's about a lot more than that. In our division, we work with producers to help them profitably increase the supply of CAB. We know that the best way to aim for the brand's specifications is to buy registered Angus bulls with above-average carcass EPDs and then manage that genetic potential from ranch to feedlot.
That means we work with researchers to identify what practices help or harm quality. We work with feeders to gather data and better understand how their business is affected by a focus on the end product. We visit with commercial and seedstock ranchers to share all the information we've learned and to listen. We want to know how our brand can become more relevant to their business. The list could go on and on.
Our staff members who work on the other side of the beef business use a similar approach with grocers, restaurateurs, distributors and exporters. We have people who talk to customers in Dubai, Mexico, Barbados and Saudi Arabia. We have people who assist customers in small towns like Broken Bow, Neb.; Arlington, S.D.; and Walnut Creek, Ohio.
We are much more than an ad agency, and if you don't believe us, I'm convinced a stop into our headquarters is all it would take to change your mind. It's really hard to describe all the passion the people I call my "CAB family" have for this brand and what it's doing for your cattle.
To get a regular dose of this feature, visit the Black Ink Blog at www.blackinkwithcab.com.
