Tyson Fresh Meats Reinvigorates Premium Brand

Taking its cue from the steady growth in retail sales of premium meats, Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. -- the beef and pork unit of Tyson Foods -- has reinvigorated its Chairman's Reserve Premium Meats brand.

The supplier is revamping its brand messaging to increase the brand's appeal to consumers wanting premium meat products. Preliminary research conducted by Tyson Fresh Meats indicates that when comparing beef brand characteristics, consumers associate quality with "premium" second only to the descriptor "prime."

New brand elements include the tagline, "Reward Yourself with Quality" and a consumer-friendly website that offers product information, recipes and cooking tips for both beef and pork. 

"We are very excited to unveil the new Chairman's Reserve Premium Meats website during a time when premium beef and pork products are enjoying a resurgence with consumers," said Kent Harrison, VP of marketing and value creation for Tyson Fresh Meats.

According to FreshLook Marketing data cited by Tyson, pound volume of premium beef steaks has increased steadily over the last few years, reaching 665 million pounds in 2010. That's an increase of nearly 11 percent compared to pre-recession levels in 2007.  Volume of regular beef steaks decreased 1.6 percent in 2010 compared to pre-recession levels in 2007.

The Chairman's Reserve Certified Premium Beef line includes Prime and upper 2/3 Choice grades of beef, while the Chairman's Reserve Premium Pork line includes color-graded, non-enhanced pork.