Using the Conjoint Market Analysis Tool to examine the factors that influence consumer attitudes toward beef products

This study is designed to identify the utility and purchasing propensity that consumers have for various factors associated with beef products. Because the consumer makes a final buying decision on a complex bundle of characteristics, this study used the conjoint method to examine the relative utilities of the set of beef characteristics considered by the consumer. The study followed a multi-part methodology. First, the researchers identified the factors that would be included in the conjoint analysis by convening a group of experts in the field of agriculture. In total, nine factors were selected for this study: animal feed, grazing conditions, cut of steak, steak tenderness, animal breed, region of origin, cost of the meat product, the use of growth promoters, and the nature of farm ownership. Following this, the factors were examined by a focus group consisting of students from Iowa State University.

This session was used to develop and refine a usable vernacular of the characteristics that were used in the conjoint portion of the study. The final stage of the research consisted of conducting a conjoint analysis using subjects from three venues: students at Iowa State University, a national sample of over 500 consumers representative of the broader population, and consumers at local grocery retailers. For the student population, a sample of animal science and business students was included to allow the researchers to examine the effect of product knowledge on the utility scores of potential consumers. The national sample was obtained with the assistance of a marketing firm that identified and selected a representative sample of respondents. While the research is ongoing, results from the student and the national samples will be discussed and reported on at the Leopold Marketing Workshop. Final results from the study are due in February, 2006.

Brian Mennecke
Logistics Operations and Management Information Systems Department – Iowa State University
Phone: 515.294.8100
Email: mennecke@iastate.edu

Dermot Hayes
Economics Department – Iowa State University
Phone: 515.294.6185
Email: dhayes@iastate.edu

Anthony Townsend
Logistics Operations and Management Information Systems Department – Iowa State University
Phone: 515.294.7834
Email: amt@iastate.edu

Steven Lonergan
Animal Science Department – Iowa State University
Phone: 515.294.5066
Email: slonerga@iastate.edu