Divine Brand Delivers for Yoke's

AMY SUNG

SPOKANE, Wash. — Officials at Yoke's Fresh Markets have a new holiday best-seller in the meat department, and it's not even a new product.

Yoke's premium prime rib got a makeover in time for Christmas. Local advertising firm Magner Sanborn developed a new name, “Divine,” for the premium Certified Hereford Beef that's aged for five weeks and is never frozen. The product also got wrapped in upscale new packaging to set it apart from the rest of the beef during the holiday season.

The response from shoppers was so strong that the retailer came close to selling out of product in the days before Christmas. The campaign for the aged prime rib roast was scheduled to run from Dec. 10 to Dec. 22 last year, but had to be pulled early when officials realized they wouldn't have enough product to satisfy demand. The promotion was supported through TV and radio commercials, print advertisements, weekly sales fliers, in-store signs and online at www.yokesfoods.com.

“It was huge for us for Christmastime,” said Ken Chapin, director of meat and seafood for Yoke's. “There was a tremendous increase in sales on the ribs.”

Yoke's went through approximately 1,200 70-pound cases. The roasts retailed for $6.97 per pound.

“The trick to this Divine roast is that it has to be aged five weeks, so it's something that we do in advance,” Chapin said. “Anytime we feel like prime ribs will be a good ad item, something more than just normal, we will go ahead and buy those and age them for that time period. People can order them, but they need to give us enough notice to make sure we're going to get five weeks [aging] on them, because that's really the secret to it being the item that it is.”

The retailer featured the beef for Valentine's Day and plans to promote it again for Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Although the premium aged beef is available year round, the “Divine” labels are only placed on the aged products the retailer promotes during the holidays. In addition to labels, associates put up posters and case strips in the meat departments. Shoppers can pre-order the beef at any time of the year.

Chapin told SN he was pleased with the results of the Christmas promotion, and expects sales could double during the 2007 Christmas season.

“It was our first shot out on that one, and it was extremely successful,” he said. “The real potential, we still have yet to see that. It's all going to come down to whether or not the ribs stood up to the advertising. If people who bought them thought that was the best rib they ever had, they'll be back. That's what we'll find out at Christmastime.”