Word reaches me of exciting developments in the meat and livestock
sector - the British Deer Farmers Association is looking for its first
PR agency.
The 500-strong association was formed 20 years ago but has decided the
time is right to push venison to the forefront of shoppers’ minds.
Apparently it has succeeded in convincing dedicated gourmets of the
qualities of the meat but is now targeting the health and fitness market
due to the meat’s low fat content.
The Association’s new chairman Dr John Fletcher, a Scotland-based vet,
tells me: ’Venison is present on the menus of good restaurants and is
usually the most expensive item. But we have been much less successful
in penetrating the new physical fitness market as well as the
bodybuilding and dieting consumers.’
Fletcher wants to hear from any PR agencies who might be able to develop
some imaginative ideas to sell venison to this health market. This
follows a recent conference held in the glamorous surrounds of Barnsley
when the Association agreed that it needs outside help.
There are signs that the PR task will be easier than it sounds. ’It is
exciting that Tesco’s new venison Grillsteaks outsold all their other
red meat products last month,’ snorts Fletcher triumphantly.
