New guidelines for ‘Targeting the Brand’ logo

The most discerning of bull buyers know to look for well-rounded genetic profiles when perusing sale catalogs. Still, they could use a little help spotting the most complete packages. There’s added value for registered Angus bulls with greater potential to sire calves that meet the most challenging specifications for the Certified Angus Beef brand.

Thanks to new guidelines for “Targeting the Brand” logo use, it will be easier to find those premium bulls.

Kara Lee, CAB production brand manager, says the logo can be used by any breeder whose bulls are breed average or better for two key metrics: Marbling expected progeny difference and Angus Grid Value Index, $G. To find the cream of the crop for grade potential, this fall’s qualifying bulls need a marbling EPD of at least +0.53, along with $G at +33.97, but those change as breed averages do.

“We know today’s bull buyer is balancing a lot of different traits when they go through their selection criteria,” Lee says. “The Targeting the Brand mark is a way for registered Angus breeders to assist their commercial customers in finding bulls that will help achieve their CAB acceptance goals.”

Previously, breeders would use the logo generically on websites or catalog covers. And while that’s still permitted with appropriate context, Lee says CAB asks them to use the mark in a more specific manner, tying it to individual bulls that meet the criteria. If the logo is used broadly, it should be with language such as “Click here for a list of bulls that meet Targeting the Brand genetic requirements” or “Look for this mark inside to identify bulls that will help you target CAB standards.”

The logo should now be used much like one for a genetic test would be to identify tested animals individually.

Lee encourages early adopters of the Targeting the Brand concept to give her a call if they have any questions about how to best use the mark going forward. She also invites those who haven’t used it before to make contact and consider adding it to their marketing materials.

Pre-made “Targeting the Brand” ads are available in addition to the logo—and there’s an incentive to sweeten the deal, Lee says.

“Any producer who uses the logo in their catalog for the first time will receive a $250 credit to use on ‘Black Hide Collection’ items in the CAB online store,” she explains.

That means for a logo in your book, you can get one on a few jackets, too. And the help it gives your customers is worth even more.

“Today’s commercial producers have more information and data at their fingertips than ever before,” Lee says. “Many of them are very progressive in how they weigh that information and make well-educated decisions about which bulls will help them achieve their cow herd goals. We know, too, that some producers can become overwhelmed at the amount of information available. We’re trying to add one more visual step, so cattlemen can easily identify bulls that will help them meet their goals of more premium beef potential in their calf crop.”

For more information on use of Targeting the Brand in your seedstock marketing materials, contact Kara Lee at [email protected] or 812-653-0020. To learn how you can use the logo to market feeder cattle, visit AngusLink.com.