The numbers don’t lie. For U.S. pork producers looking for a tangible return on their checkoff investments, the latest retail data out of Wisconsin delivers a clear message: meeting younger consumers where they cook drives fresh pork into grocery carts.
By translating the National Pork Board’s (NPB) “Taste What Pork Can Do” campaign into local action, the Wisconsin Pork Association (WPA) teamed up with regional grocer Piggly Wiggly, a chain operating over 500 stores across 17 states (including more than 90 in Wisconsin), to test modern marketing strategies.
The result? Double-digit sales lifts across multiple promotions.
Rethinking Pork for the Next-Gen Consumer
Pork’s traditional core consumers have long been Boomers and older Gen X. But building long-term category demand requires capturing Millennials and Gen Z—shoppers who approach meal planning with a completely different mindset.
“Younger consumers don’t look at cuts,” explains Neal Hull, director of state and regional marketing for the National Pork Board. “They talk about finished dishes such as pulled pork, carnitas, al pastor or a quick spin on ribs. Most of the time when you go to a retailer’s website, it shows raw pieces of meat, and that doesn’t entice a younger consumer into the category.”
Rather than positioning pork solely as a traditional center-of-the-plate roast or chop, the campaign highlights fresh pork as a flavorful, nutrient-dense ingredient suited for quick weeknight meals and tight grocery budgets.
Proven In-Store Sales Lifts
To convert awareness into actual sales, WPA connected the digital buzz directly to Piggly Wiggly aisles. Last year, they collaborated with local Wisconsin lifestyle influencer and mother-of-four Kyla Marie Charles, showcasing fast, family-friendly recipes:
• May (Family Weeknight Meals): A two-week promotion paired with recipe videos drove a 12.1% increase in fresh pork sales. This was Piggly Wiggly’s highest sales volume outside of Easter, Memorial Day and Labor Day.
• June (Ribs Feature): A targeted rib campaign generated an 11.5% lift over baseline fresh pork sales.
• July (Air-Fryer Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin): Tapping into the air-fryer trend for sub-30-minute meals sparked a 23.4% sales surge above average volume.
In August of 2025 and 2026, WPA showcased fresh pork across the 11-day Wisconsin State Fair, serving samples and distributing Taste What Pork Can Do recipe guides to more than 5,500 fairgoers during Piggly Wiggly Day.
Building on that momentum, WPA and Piggly Wiggly are rolling out in-store digital coupons and dedicated end-cap displays for October Pork Month, with grocery merchandisers projecting a sales lift between 80% and 150%.
The State and National Ground Game
For smaller state associations, scaling a comprehensive retail marketing campaign requires close alignment with national resources.
“We couldn’t do any of this without our partnership with the National Pork Board,” says Keri Retallick, WPA executive vice president. “We’re a smaller state, so we need their support and partnership to make this happen.”
Hull emphasizes that closing the gap at retail is the most critical phase of the checkoff marketing funnel.
“We can create all the awareness in the world, but that retailer is the last mile,” Hull says. “That is the final connection where the consumer actually puts the product in the basket and takes it home.”
Moving Beyond ‘One-and-Done’
Both Retallick and Hull stress that moving the needle on category demand requires consistent, multi-year commitments rather than single-run promotions. WPA is currently operating on a multi-year strategy with Piggly Wiggly to ensure pork retains prime digital and physical shelf space.
“Our producers are telling us clearly: We need to sell more fresh pork,” Retallick says. “Whether it’s the main entree or an ingredient in a bowl or skillet dish, producers are contributing checkoff dollars and want to see results. This partnership shows what happens when we listen to producers, look at consumer data, and execute at retail.”
Hull agrees and is excited about what lies ahead for U.S. pork.
“Consumers are budget-conscious right now, and pork is positioned extremely well,” he says. “Our mantra is simple: more people eating more pork more often. By changing how we showcase pork at retail, we’re proving the category’s long-term relevance.”
