Experts estimate that most Americans encounter anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 advertisements each day.
“As consumers ourselves, we understand all too well the barrage of information coming at us every day. Different consumer audiences prioritize different purchasing factors and information sources,” says Rich Deaton, Ohio pig farmer and chair of the Real Pork Barriers Task Force at the National Pork Board.
As part of this task force, he evaluated a wealth of research to better understand audiences they need to target and how to talk to them about modern pig farming in a way they can relate to, Deaton says. He also sat in on consumer focus groups aimed at understanding pork production perceptions.
“That was a real eye-opening experience,” Deaton admits. “When consumers were asked what was stopping them from purchasing more pork than what they were currently purchasing, the common concern was the cleanliness of pigs or ‘pigs are dirty.’ They also worried about what the pigs were fed and were concerned pigs were eating garbage, among other misconceptions about how we raise hogs.”
But with less than 2% of the U.S. population involved in production agriculture, it’s no wonder there’s a disconnect. Finding the right partner to bridge the gap and address the misconceptions in a way that resonates with consumers became a priority for the task force.
Why Eric Stonestreet?
After digesting the consumer research, the task force chose Eric Stonestreet, best known for his role as Cam on Modern Family. Stonestreet grew up raising and showing pigs in 4-H. Not only could he relate to what it’s like to raise pigs, but he could uniquely connect production with consumers, says Jacque Matsen, senior vice president of communications at the National Pork Board.
Deaton and Matsen accompanied Stonestreet on an August video shoot on a modern pig farm. Matsen says working with Stonestreet was an incredible experience.
“He was everything we hoped and more – gracious, interested, engaged and most importantly, really wanting to do this work,” Matsen says.
During the video shoot, Stonestreet redefined five common phrases, including “when pigs fly,” “pig out,” “Capitalist pig,” “pigsty” and “hog wild.” The videos will be released slowly over the next few months, Matsen says. The goal is simple – to get people to watch the videos and share them. But they also hope it will be a useful tool to answer hard questions, engage with consumers and learn more about other myths consumers want to see addressed.
“These videos are so different than anything we’ve done before,” Matsen adds. “They are delivered in terms people are familiar with, using a credible spokesperson delivering quick-moving stories that are matter-of-fact, approachable and light-hearted. I hope producers see it’s a very different approach and may give them new ways to approach hard conversations, too.”
However, Deaton believes the greatest value of the Pork Checkoff’s partnership with Stonestreet is not in the series of Rural Dictionary videos they shot, but rather in getting Stonestreet onto a modern pig farm.
“He is immensely influential and now, wherever he goes, he will always have this experience to pull from when people ask questions about eating pork and pig farming,” he says.
Read more about Stonestreet’s mission:
Eric Stonestreet Sets the Record Straight About Real Pork
Modern Mythbuster: Eric Stonestreet Sets Out to Bust Pig Farming Myths
