The pork industry’s new consumer campaign isn’t a normal campaign; it’s a transformational shift. For the National Pork Board, it’s a commitment to ensure pork remains on the plate amidst evolving consumer preferences. And there’s no question this campaign will be focused on the younger consumer.
Morgan Wonderly is a genzennial – she’s right in between millennials and Gen Z. As a pork producer and animal science lecturer at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, she brings a unique perspective to the conversation. For Wonderly, this isn’t just a conversation about food. It’s a conversation about a shared experience.
“When I think about sitting down with my friends around the table, it’s not about ‘Hey, we’re going to eat pork tonight,’” she explains. “It’s more like, ‘Who wants Mexican? Anybody want pizza?’ We make eating such an experience, versus let’s sit around a table and just eat food.”
Food carries a deeper meaning than sustenance to her generation, she says. Younger generations place great importance on the meaning of food, where their food comes from and how that food was produced.
“I have the opportunity to speak with this age group of consumers on an everyday basis,” Wonderly says. “When I ask them who has eaten pork as a pork chop with a baked potato and a green bean in the last week, maybe four out of 70 raise their hand. But if I ask who ate carnitas, meat lovers pizza or al pastor tacos in the last week, they all shoot their hands up.”
Affinity Starts Early
Patrick Fleming, vice president of demand development for the National Pork Board, says there’s no question pork is a social food. Pizza is one of the greatest examples as most all of the beloved pizza toppings are pork, he points out.
“That’s where younger consumers first engage with us and fall in love with the flavor of pork,” Fleming says. There’s a lot of things you can replace, but not that unique flavor of pepperoni. And of course, bacon is our gateway pork product. Get people talking about bacon and passion comes through in their voice.”
With all of these products younger consumers have an affinity for, where does the disconnect occur? Data compiled over the past few years shows younger consumers don’t always connect that pepperoni is pork or that bacon is pork.
“The pork portfolio starts with a place where we already connected with consumers in the processed category,” Fleming says. “They already have affinity for those products. The new campaign will simply help them see that if you like bacon, then you might like pepperoni. And if you like pepperoni, you’ll like sausage. Or if you like ham, try pulled pork. If you like pulled pork, let us show you ribs.”
It’s all about moving consumers through the portfolio by referencing products that they already love and trust. They know those foods deliver flavor, he says.
“That is a great starting point to bring the whole hog back together again,” Fleming says. “And most importantly, it makes us uniquely pork. We have a variety of flavors, not just one flavor. You look at our whole portfolio, flavor is what really sets us apart.”
Meet the Generation of Grazers
When you study older consumers, fresh pork tends to be dominant and center the plate. Younger consumers see pork as an ingredient. The entry point for the ingredient usage has almost always been processed meats like bacon, pepperoni and sausage.
Wonderly says young consumers are grazers and snack more often than the generations before them.
“In the past, we may have had our three strict meals, no snacks,” she says. “Today, if you were to ask my students how many meals they eat a day, they’d respond with, ‘Well, I eat five snacks a day. I barely even eat a full meal.’ That blows my mind, but to them, it’s normal.”
She thinks pork needs to continue innovations in the snack category – from pork sticks to ‘adult lunchables.’ Not only is pork a high-protein food, but it’s also low-carb and fits into many of the dieting programs.
“I’m on the road a lot,” Wonderly says. “Going into gas stations five years ago, you’d only see beef sticks. We’ve seen a huge shift. Adult lunchables are not only something that I grab all the time, but my students on my judging team do the same. Plus, it’s easy to make your own by grabbing a slab of salami and cutting it up with cheese and crackers or whatever they want. I think we’re continuing to grow in that space as well.”
Stay Tuned
Starting in May, the National Pork Board will be releasing its new campaign bit by bit. Fleming encourages producers to remember this is a long-term play. It’s not about a single ad or a single statement. It’s about engaging with customers for a long period of time to change how they think about pork.
“I’m just a pig farmer,” Wonderly says. “I’m not a marketing guru, so I think that’s where Patrick and his team really comes in – this is their place to play. I’m excited about the future to see what they can do. Demand is important. We must be able to market this product.”
Building a larger customer base is a long-term conversation, Fleming adds.
“We must keep showing up, mentioning and reminding people of why pork is so important,” he says. “We deliver flavor, nutrition and versatility every day. As we build, we will have a larger base of pork consumers, and that will support better footing for the future from both a consumer perspective and a profitability perspective.”
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