Whether everyone’s favorite college basketball team is looking good as we head deeper into the NCAA Tournament’s March Madness or not, one thing’s for sure—the Ohio Pork Council (OPC) is putting pork as the No. 1 seed to win thanks to its partnership with ESPN and the National Pork Board to target the state’s largest metro areas with pork messaging.
“We wanted to do something unique as a state to promote pork in a fun and cost-effective way that takes advantage of the excitement around live sports viewing,” says Cheryl Day, OPC executive vice president. “We know that increasing domestic pork demand is critical right now and we want to do everything we can to increase awareness in Ohio consumers that pork is a great choice pork for them and their families whether it’s a center-of-the-plate protein, a side protein, or an ingredient in a favorite or new recipe.”
From March 1 until April 8, people in the greater Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, or Toledo area who watch ESPN’s streaming coverage of NCAA March Madness coverage will see one of five different ads and short videos from NPB’s Surprisingly Pork campaign, cobranded with OH Pork. This approach will allow all those watching on TVs, phones, computers, or tablets to see the campaign’s assets as long as it’s from a streaming service source. The ads, which NPB debuted last year, extoll the virtues of pork, especially from a nutritional and taste aspect.
Source: Ohio Pork Council
Aside from the general awareness the campaign will generate about pork’s great qualities as a protein choice, OPC has created a specialized Ohio-centric March Madness page that viewers will see when they click for more information from these ads. By doing so, they will get more information about why pork is the wholesome and versatile protein of choice produced by Ohio pig farmers.
“To get even more value use from these Checkoff-funded assets and campaign, we are set up to establish a long-term relationship with Ohio consumers about the many great qualities of pork,” Day said. “By enticing viewers to click-through to our landing page and enter our drawing for a grill and supply of pork, we’ll get their contact information and subsequently send them our monthly OH Pork consumer-focused newsletter to keep them excited about choosing pork.”
OPC also plans to assist the March Madness excitement on ESPN by using its social media platforms during both the men’s and women’s tournaments to draw attention to this campaign’s messages. Special attention will be given to the women’s finals since the championship event will take place in Cleveland.
Source: Ohio Pork Council
Day added, “We want to take pork from ‘underdog’ status to ‘champion’ protein for 2024 and beyond and we think this collaborative effort will help get us get closer to that goal by increasing awareness and building demand.”
