Tracy Rehberg, Contributing Editor

2008 boasts a confident new $15 million advertising campaign for beef. If you haven’t seen the series they call “Powerful Beefscapes,” you should probably make the journey.

The print campaign features prepared beef photography engineered to look like impressive landscapes, from steep canyon walls to rock-strewn beaches. I’m not sure if they make me feel like eating beef or wearing hiking boots, but the “beefscapes” do break through the clutter of everyday advertising. They are distinctive, memorable and provoking – and, for ad men, that is more than half the battle.

Despite beef’s rein as the king of flavor, Americans still like to harbor the perception that beef can be unhealthy and should be eaten in moderation. A recent study found 52 percent of Americans are trying to make healthy lifestyle changes. While the industry has made great strides in producing and marketing lean beef, strategists have identified “the healthfulness of beef” as a brand-building priority.

Research revealed that the best health trigger to alleviate guilt is consumers’ perception about protein. According to the results of a study shared at the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, consumers believe the power of beef protein is superior.

The “Powerful Beefscapes” campaign is intended to evoke thoughts of passion, strength and protein. Meanwhile the tagline, “ Discover the power of protein in the land of lean beef, ” is geared to attract the growing number of health-conscious American consumers.

Print ads will run in 39 targeted publications, including magazines such as Fitness , Cooking Light, People and Parents, while billboards and radio spots also target consumers nationwide.

According to the NCBA, early feedback indicates that consumers love the ads and find them visually arresting. In one way or another, the rugged juiciness of the creative campaign is bound to have psychological impact.

Ruggedness and grocery shopping? You might sleep better knowing that the manly images depicted in “Powerful Beefscapes” present minimal risk of alienating women – beef’s most substantial retail consumer. This assurance is thanks to the new voice of beef, actor Matthew McConaughey. The radio spots featuring McConaughey are seductive and make it difficult for moms to do much of anything but drool in agreement that beef is what’s for dinner.

Time will tell if either campaign – print or radio – attracts the loyalty health-conscious consumer.