Patrick Fleming is back. And he’s back with more energy and determination than ever before to help take consumer marketing of pork to new levels.
As the vice president of demand development for the National Pork Board, Fleming is excited to use the recently completed segmentation research as the foundation to launch a new consumer marketing campaign focused on what pork really has to offer consumers – flavor. Fleming was the director of market intelligence and innovation for the National Pork Board from 2005 to 2018.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be back representing America’s pork producers – that is my personal why,” Fleming says. “I appreciate what I learned from my time away, and now I’m back grateful for the opportunity to serve again.”
It’s a pivotal time in the pork industry, and pork producers need a win.
“Economic times have been rough for a long time – longer than they probably needed to be,” he points out. “But when we go through hard times, we always come out of it better and stronger. The Pork Checkoff has been doing a lot to figure out where our customers are, how we can reach them and how we can talk to them effectively.”
Using this information, he’s excited to be back to help bring in more younger consumers using pork’s flavor as the draw.
“We are unapologetically pork,” Fleming says. “We are the protein that gives flavor to other proteins because we have flavor to give. When you make bacon, you don’t have to apologize.”
With a renewed focus on bringing in more Gen Z and millennial consumers, Fleming says he is optimistic about pork’s ability to bring younger consumers into the fold using touch points they already understand.
“Younger consumers are already engaging with our products – pepperoni, salami, charcuterie, ham, bacon, sausage. They already have good preferences for our processed products and couldn’t imagine living without. I mean, seriously, what would you do without pepperoni on a pizza? It’s just a piece of bread with tomato sauce!”
Not to mention, pork is the most consumed meat in the world which lends to it “owning” global flavors, he adds.
“Pork has authentic, global flavors and cuisines that we can bring to the young consumers who are always looking for new authentic flavors from all around the world. We want to help them really fall in love with pork,” Fleming says.
The Entire Supply Chain Needs to Win
It’s no secret the pork industry continues to expand, and demand hasn’t kept up.
“The solution for us is pretty linear. We are designing a new consumer campaign to go out and build demand so we can grow profitably as an industry from all levels. Everybody in the supply chain should be able to make money,” Fleming says.
One activation strategy the National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff have employed is working one on one with its value chain partners and introducing them to “the segmentation playbook.”
“We’ve put all the research we’ve done into a playbook to help retailers and packer processor partners,” he explains. “We want to help our customers be more effective and efficient at reaching consumers. The segmentation research has been shared to help them focus in similar places.”
The playbook has been shared over 50 times with channel partners to help customers see the opportunity for pork and new consumers. At the same time, it also helps them recognize who their core pork consumers are currently and how to encourage those consumers to buy more pork.
“We need to consistently share the right messaging with consumers – whether it’s flavor, nutrition, convenience – so we can win more business from them. Tailoring the message, giving them information they need to be more confident in pork consideration, fulfilling the need that makes them feel better about their pork purchase, or just appealing to their pure love of pork is critical,” Fleming says.
Motivations Matter
He believes the segmentation work is a master stroke of research for the pork industry. It is thoroughly comprehensive in defining consumers and what they need from the pork industry and what makes them potential future customers, Fleming points out. But most importantly, it digs into what motivates them or holds them back from buying more pork.
“When you understand the consumer better, you can provide the correct messaging that helps them make better decisions for their purchases. It’s not a shotgun approach. It is a more targeted approach to providing consumers with exactly what they need when they need it, to be an educated consumer and buy more pork,” he says.
One thing that rings true with all segments is that people love and enjoy the variety of flavors pork has to offer.
“We’re just not a single flavor protein. We are a multi-flavored protein. Pork offers a lot of different options that really meet their current life, stage, meal, occasion, anything where they’re looking for flavor, pork can be there,” he says.
What Producers Need to Know
It’s not going to be an easy fourth quarter, Fleming admits. But help is on the way. He’s back to restart consumer advertising for the National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff. An agency is being hired soon and will be onboarded with the segmentation research and data this fall. The goal is to have a new consumer campaign ready to launch in spring 2025.
“This will be the first general market campaign we’ve had in about seven years for consumers,” Fleming says. “We’ve done multicultural marketing, but we have not had a general market campaign. Consumers should start seeing ads in April in time for summer grilling next year.”
What will be different about this new campaign? It will not be about fresh pork alone, he says. It’s going to be about the whole hog opportunity focusing on both fresh and processed pork.
This job is a lifelong dream, Fleming says.
“I’m working in my dream organization,” he adds. “I’m working for the people who I truly love and respect the most. So, for me, this is, this is personal.”
