Marketing Insights from Cows
Belted Galloway
Some time ago I was visiting my parents and it provided me with a surprising epiphany about marketing. I decide to take a walk down the dirt road that leads from their home to the neighbor’s ranch, As I rounded the bend, I notice a small herd of about ten cows with the most unique coloring. They look like Oreos. Seriously. They had a large band of white in the middle and chocolate – I mean black – markings on either end. They are not terribly large bovines, but with their shiny hair and cute faces, they are quite remarkable looking (for cows).
When I returned home, I mentioned my discovery to my sisters. No one could visualize what I meant so I explained that “they look like Oreos”. You know, white in the middle and black on the outside. Now no one believed me so we all headed down the road for a visual of the Oreo cows. Thankfully they were still there. During this visit, pictures were taken to prove to everyone we were not making this up.
Perhaps one of the reasons no one believed me is because I’m in marketing. They know marketers typically look for the unique aspect of a product that can be leveraged to get greater traction in the market. But the other reason they may not have believed me is they have become – like most consumers – a bit skeptical of marketing in general. In our world of me-too products, not much really stands out anymore. So many marketers (and sales people) have taken the liberty to stretch the truth about their brands. The inevitable happens when the brand can’t possibly live up to the promise. Short-term sales may be good, but in the longer term, overstating the brand promise will cause its demise.
The Oreo cows were fascinating to me so I decided to do a little homework. These cows first arrived in the US from Europe in the 1950’s. And, as you probably surmised, they weren’t called Oreo cows – rather they were known as Belted Galloways, or “Belties” because of the white belt in the middle of their bodies. While their color sets them apart from every other breed, they were also exceptionally lean and flavorful. Another unique characteristic was their ability to grow a double coat of hair for winter warmth, rather than the back fat of most breeds. All in all, ranchers discovered these animals more than earned their keep in many beef herds.
So what wouldn’t you give as marketers to have a brand as unique as an “Oreo cow”? But more importantly, what would you do to ensure its success in the market? We know that being unique is not enough to sustain the life of a brand in our ever changing world. The plains of the Midwest are not lined with Belties. So that proves that point. But, why aren’t they? Did they not get enough exposure to the right audience? Was there a supply issue? Did someone not know how to market them properly? Did they not pass the taste test? Maybe I’ll look into that next. But I welcome your thoughts as well.
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We have been driving by a herd of these “Belties” for weeks now and have never seen anything like them. Grew up in the midwest and were familiar with what most cows look like. This are fascinating! At first, I thought they had blankets on them. Thank you for this article.