BeefRetail.org - Summer Grilling 2008 Heats Up

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Beef Sizzles This Summer!

Get ready to help your customers heat up their grills by stocking up on beef cuts that are great on the grill! Whether it's charcoal or propane, grills and beef were made for each other. And as the temperature rises and the days get longer, people are anxious to get outside and fire up their grills.

How can you keep the grill hot? Take advantage of partnerships, promotions and coupons to encourage your customers to get outside and get cooking!

Anheuser-Busch^® has partnered with the beef checkoff and A.1.^® Steak Sauce and Marinades to create 3 brand new summer grilling customer brochures. Each brochure focuses on a specific time frame within the Summer Grilling season, with the first one highlighting pre-Memorial Day and promoting Michelob^® beer.

Did you know?

Grilling cuts accounted for 66% of total beef dollar sales during the 2007 Summer Grilling time frame.

While women purchase and prep the meal for the grill, 66% of grillers are men.¹

Mother's Day kicks off grilling season with 45% of consumers heating up their grills.¹

By July 4^th, 86% of consumers are using the grill to make dinner.¹

¹ Source: Weber GrillWatch 2007

These brochures contain valuable, instantly-redeemable coupons, offering beef savings of either $2.00 off with the purchase of A.1. or $3.00 off with the purchase of A.1. and Anheuser-Busch beer. Check with your beer and wine buyer to see when your store will receive these promotional materials.

Try some of these easy merchandising ideas:

Feature the recipe for Brew Burgers in your weekly ads to help promote the Anheuser-Busch and A.1. Steak Sauce promotions. The mouth-watering photo is available in the Beef and Veal Ad Planner.
Cross promote with Michelob beers and A.1. Steak Sauces. From Bold & Spicy to Roasted Garlic to Smoky Mesquite, there's a flavor of A.1. that is sure to please every palate.

Don't forget customers looking for a lighter meal. The slightly sweet,citrusy flavor of Michelob Light is the perfect compliment to a Grilled Skirt Steak Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing - all the tastes of summer on one perfect plate.

Or, merchandise Michelob Light with A.1. Carb Well - all the flavor of Michelob and A.1., with fewer calories and carbohydrates.

What's the #1 item cooked on the grill? Burgers! Because of the popularity of the burger, the beef industry will again team up with Sutter Home^® wines for the $50,000 Sutter Home^® Build a Better Burger^® National Recipe Contest. This is a great opportunity to encourage your customers' creativity while promoting beef sales.

Invite a local sommelier (from a restaurant or wine store) to your meat department for a Sutter Home wine tasting. Have them discuss the winemaking process and how to choose the best wine to compliment a meal. Feature samples of spicy Firecracker Burgers or fruity Caribbean Burgers with Mango Salsa.

Sutter Home isn't just for burgers. Their wines are great with steaks, too! Suggest a recipe that uses wine in the marinade, like Italian Marinated Steak with Grilled Ratatouille.

Cross promote with a variety of Sutter Home's fruity whites or deep reds, guaranteed to compliment any beef dish.

Be sure to check out smokin' hot new recipes and photos in the online version of the Beef and Veal Ad Planner. Add zest to your ads with recipes and photos of Southwest Cheeseburgers or Cajun Beef Pepper Steaks.

Add your own touch to these ideas and your meat department will become the go-to grilling destination for your customers all season long.