New York City , NY – Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) recently launched a new consumer advertising creative to entice more U.S. consumers to try Australian lamb. The ad campaign challenges the perception that lamb is for ‘special occasions’ with the positioning of “Easy, any day”.

MLA Regional Manager, Michelle Gorman said “The goal is to increase awareness of Australian lamb and to encourage more consumers to consider it as a midweek meal option.”

The new campaign is the result of continuous evolution over the past five years of the following themes; “American Appetite – Australian Delight” - 2001/2002, “Australian Lamb Easy as One, Two, Three” – 2002/2004, and “A Feast for the Holidays – An Easy Meal for Any Day” - 2004/2006.

Ms. Gorman said “Market research indicates that consumer awareness of lamb is very low, with approximately 70% of Americans having never tried lamb and only 10% consuming it every 1-2 months resulting in per capita consumption of 1lb (450gm) per person.”

The four advertisements were developed in association with Australian Chef Sally James who created 17 new recipes specifically designed to be easy to use.  These recipes are a follow up to the extremely popular recipe book, simply delicious- Australian lamb for any occasion.

Ms. Gorman said “Consumers say the biggest barriers to trying Australian lamb include, being ‘unaware of the product and not sure what it will taste like’, and ‘not confident in preparing and cooking lamb’. “However, our experience shows that when they try Australian lamb, they love it!” she said.

The advertisements and recipes follow a seasonal theme to highlight the versatility and year round availability of Australian lamb.  They will run in epicurean magazines during key consumption periods, including; Easter, Memorial Day - Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ms Gorman said “The goal is to drive potential consumers to the website where there is more information relating to the product including nutrition benefits, exciting recipes and a store locator for consumers to identify a stockist/s in their local area.”

“The success of the campaign will be measured by reader response cards from the magazines as well as email subscriptions to our electronic newsletter.  Preliminary results indicate up to a ten fold increase in response for these two measures – that’s exciting” she said.

Australian lamb is an all-natural product with no growth hormone promotants or artificial additives used in production; its mild and succulent flavor is a direct result of Australia’s clean, pure environment.