Shorthorn: working for the next 150 years

Shorthorn:

working for the next 150 years

by Eric Grant, Grant Company LLC

150 years ago, when the American Shorthorn Association (ASA) became America’s first beef breed organization, there were about 40 million people living in the United States.

Last February, when ASA broadcast a Shorthorn episode of The American Rancher, 52 million households would have had access to the program that aired on RFD-TV.

No doubt the world has changed since the early days of the breed, and no doubt the nature of breed promotions has changed as well – particularly in the last five years as audiences have moved away from traditional media to digital platforms.

A couple of years ago, ASA’s CEO Montie Soules sat down with me to discuss the organization’s promotional vision for the future. He wanted it to include more social media and broadcast opportunities.

Montie had enjoyed great success in promoting cattle on RFD-TV over the years, and I agreed with him that he had been on the right course when it came to promoting Shorthorns.

I’d spent the previous decade working for the American Angus Association, where we’d successfully launched the organization into both social media as well as broadcasting, and when I left the organization to form Grant Company, we applied what we’d learned to help others successfully ramp up their own efforts.

One of the things that we learned was that breed promotion was not an “either or” proposition; it wasn’t print versus digital or digital versus broadcast. You needed them all.

Having digital, print and broadcast meant we could reach a wider audience on an ongoing basis.

And, having a presence in all these media arenas meant you could reach “known” audiences through print while reaching “unknown” audiences through broadcast — and both through digital and social media.

So Montie and I shook hands, and the Grant Company team started traveling across the country to capture the Shorthorn story.

Since that time, we’ve traveled to nearly 20 states and videotaped and photographed the stories of dozens of Shorthorn breeders. The photos we’ve taken have supported ASA’s print and social media activities. The videos we’ve

produced have reached hundreds of thousands of people.

We’re proud of this effort, and proud to be a part of the Shorthorn team.

And as we move toward the fall sales season and the kickoff of ASA’s 150th anniversary celebration, I should mention a few things about our team and the work we’re doing this summer.

First, we’ll be traveling to nearly 20 locations and interviewing people across the country about the Shorthorn breed and the great contribution its made to the beef business.

Our work will be highlighted in a documentary that will air on national television in October. It celebrates Shorthorns, its breeders, its rich heritage and bright future. We’re excited about this film, and hope it will do justice to the great work that Shorthorn breeders do each day to advance their breed and to feed a growing world.

Second, I should also mention a little about our team, which brings a lot of talent and expertise to the effort.

Our communications work is underpinned by Crystal Albers, Jena McRell and Diane Meyer. Crystal and Jena headed up Angus’ PR and advertising efforts for a decade before joining Grant Company. Diane previously served as editor of Hereford World magazine.

Our creative director is Bart Ashford. He’s worked on big brands like Walmart, Petsmart, McDonald’s and others and has nearly 30 years of experience in advertising design and creative direction.

Our video team is anchored by Jeff Meyer, who started his career at Angus but went on to work for the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. He continues to run the jumbotron for the Kansas City Chiefs on the weekends when he’s not out shooting beautiful footage of Shorthorn cattle.

It’s been a great honor and a privilege to work with Montie and his team. We’re excited about the coming year – and the celebrations that will unfold. But we’re even more excited about the future of Shorthorns, and believe the breed is uniquely positioned for the future of beef production. =