Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has said that its new marketing campaign has “exceeded industry benchmarks” across radio, digital, social and print, reportedly driving thousands of shoppers to seek out quality assured Scotch meat.
The campaign was designed to connect consumers with their local butchers, who stock Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.
Launched in February, the campaign was developed to support members of the Scotch Butchers Club and to encourage customers to consider the benefits of shopping with independent butchers.
The campaign was shaped by independent consumer research, which was commissioned to understand evolving red meat shopping behaviours. The findings reinforced the appeal of local butchers – notably quality, trust and specialist expertise – while also combating some of the barriers of shopping at a local butcher, such as perceived high cost and lack of shopper confidence knowing what to ask for at the counter. These insights informed a marketing strategy using media channels to serve creative focusing on reassurance, accessibility and value.
It ran across a planned media mix, including broadcast radio, Facebook and Instagram, digital advertisements and newspaper adverts, aiming to ensure strong reach and repeated exposure to campaign messages at both Scotland-wide and more local levels.
“Our job for this campaign was to challenge perceived barriers and remind shoppers why their local butcher remains such a valuable part of the retail landscape.”
Emma Heath, QMS
Emma Heath, director of marketing at QMS, said: “This campaign shows what’s possible when strong consumer insight is combined with the right cost-effective media mix and clear, confident messaging.
“Independent butchers already offer exceptional quality and expertise, and are known for showcasing fresh red meat that is quality assured, locally sourced and farmed with care. So our job for this campaign was to challenge perceived barriers and remind shoppers why their local butcher remains such a valuable part of the retail landscape for everything from a midweek dinner to a show-stopping Sunday roast or meat for a special occasion.
“The results demonstrate real momentum and tangible value for our Scotch Butchers Club members as we seek to drive footfall into stores, and is another good example of the marketing that QMS do for Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork that has delivered measurable impact for the red meat supply chain.”
Advertising aired across Bauer’s Hits Radio Network, including Forth 1 and Clyde 1, delivered particularly strong results and on average, with listeners hearing the message up to five times, supporting message cut-through and recall.
Adverts across Facebook and Instagram also performed strongly, said QMS, demonstrating an appetite for butcher-led storytelling, while digital display advertising on BBC Good Food also worked in driving engagement. Print advertising provided coverage by reinforcing campaign messages in local titles.
Across the whole campaign, which ran for just under four weeks, advertising encouraging footfall to local Scotch Butchers Club members was seen or heard 13.6 million times, driving more than 6,000 visits to the Find a Butcher page on makeitscotch.com.
