Using Audience Segmentation to Identify Target Audiences for Climate-Smart Beef Production Communication

In the face of increasing consumer scrutiny of the food supply chain, communication practitioners have been determined to understand public perceptions of the food production process from ‘farm to fork.’ The beef industry has been of particular interest due to the relatively high production emissions and an increased level of public support for environmentally friendly food behaviors, such as eating less beef. To address these concerns, the USDA and industry organizations are creating programs to incentivize and promote climate-smart beef production practices. Further, a new market is being created, where products may be labeled as ‘sustainable’ or ‘climate-smart.’ In order for this market to thrive, communicators and educators must strive to educate the public about these production practices; however, little is known about how to educate the public and market these climate-smart production techniques to the public. This study sought to identify and describe unique target audiences for educational communication about climate-smart beef production using audience segmentation. Through a K-means cluster analysis, we identified four strategic target audiences based on respondents’ climate change concern, political ideology, trust in science, and perception of the environmental responsibility of the beef industry. After, we described each cluster’s demographic characteristics, beef consumption frequency, attitude toward sustainable food products, and preferred communication sources to inform strategic communication efforts. This study provides insight and recommendations for educators and other practitioners communicating about climate-smart beef as well as areas of future research into this emergent area.