People are looking for authenticity. That’s why influencers such as Eddie Zamora, the Yum Yum Foodie, and Ashley Sampson of Life With Ashley Ann are drawing droves of peopled to their social media platforms every day.
“People want genuine content – they want to see real life on social media,” Sampson said during a consumer influencers panel at the National Pork Industry Forum on March 6.
Although she coins herself as an “everyday wife and mom at home,” her influence is anything but that. She opens the door to her kitchen and her home to share inspiration with her followers, introducing them to convenient, relevant and delicious recipes that everyone in the family will want to eat.
“Pork matters to me because it’s a protein we choose to prepare at home in our kitchen,” she said. “I use a lot of varieties of pork cuts to encourage my audience to choose pork when making cooking decisions.”
Zamora said pork is a huge part of his life. Born and raised in Miami as the son of Cuban exiles, he said pork is about flavor and memories.
“Pork reminds me of home – of my mom, my dad, my grandmother and my grandfather. Pork is paramount in my life. It’s the dish of celebration for my Cuban community. It’s what we have for holidays. You won’t see a turkey at my house on Thanksgiving,” he said.
Pork is a culturally relevant food that’s authentic to Zamora’s story.
“It’s all I know to be. People who see me online see my authenticity, which leads to pork becoming more relevant to them,” he pointed out.
Ashley Sampson and Eddie Zamora are using authenticity and information to help people become more comfortable in the kitchen.
Ashley Sampson and Eddie Zamora help younger generations realize how easy it can be to cook pork.
What are Consumers Looking For?
When it comes down to it, Sampson said her followers are most interested in how easy a dish is to prepare and if it will be tasty. Although convenience and price matter, she said millennial families want to know two things. Can I prep this when I get home from work? Will it be tasty?
“I remember my grandparents followed family recipes. Our generation isn’t even going to Google like we used to,” Sampson said. “We are going to Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to learn how to cook a cut of meat.”
Bringing followers “into” her kitchen to see different cuts of pork being used in main dishes or as ingredient in a dish helps them see how they can work pork into their own menus.
“I think it helps push more pork to be bought in the store,” Sampson said. “People crave authentic, not staged, real-life content.”
Through his social media presence, Zamora wants to show his followers they can do more than they think they can when it comes to cooking in the kitchen.
“I feel like I take the reins to demystify pork. Pork can be so intimidating to some consumers,” he pointed out. “When people see a familiar face and when they feel like they are not being lied to – that resonates with my audience.”
Is Pork Intimidating?
Zamora grew up enjoying pork and forming memories around this protein. But Zamora isn’t stereotypical in his experience.
“Our generation is intimidated by pork,” said Sampson, a millennial. “A lot of us are teaching ourselves how to cook pork at home. You have one bad experience with a dry pork chop and then you don’t want to risk that again. You want to go with something you are confident in. That’s why we need to create content that gives people confidence they can do it at home.”
Eddie Zamora shows followers how to marinade pork chops for the grill.
Not only does it take practice and experience to get that confidence, but it also requires sharing knowledge. Zamora said people don’t just want to see him prepare food – they want to learn about the food and gain more information along the way. He believes part of the problem with people not being happy with their pork preparation is simply tied to cooking pork to the correct temperature.
“I don’t see pork advertised enough. When I do see it, it doesn’t educate me on cooking to 145 degrees. Once you feel confident and educated, not only will you try it, but you’ll spread the gospel to your friends who trust you as an authentic source,” he added.
What They Hope People Take Away
Whenever Zamora and Sampson create content, they hope to motivate someone somewhere to try something new.
“Will this inspire someone? Can they save it? Share it? Those are the most important things I look for when I’m creating content,” Sampson said.
(l to r): Eddie Zamora, Ashley Sampson and David Newman discuss trends in home cooking at the National Pork Industry Forum.
During the pandemic, Zamora created videos showing how to prepare pork loin once and then make three recipes from it – without sacrificing flavor.
“People just don’t know how much they can do with pork,” he explained.
He also can’t believe pork loin isn’t more popular with today’s consumer.
“The loin is so versatile and delicious. It’s at such a reasonable price point for anyone. It’s approachable. It’s bonkers to me why people don’t buy more pork loin,” Zamora said.
Ground pork also came up in the conversation about opening consumers’ eyes to buying more fresh pork.
“My audience would love to see more ground pork recipes because it’s easy to work with,” she said. “For me, it’s about showing them how to use it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and casseroles. It’s putting it in front of their faces more.”
Go check out Eddie Zamora on Instagram @theyumyumfoodie and Ashley Sampson @lifewithashleyann.
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