News

New take on marketing pork

The Pork Checkoff is shifting marketing efforts to increase pork demand in the U.S.

John Heins with the National Pork Board says the organization is shifting their domestic marketing strategy to work more closely with retailers and food service.  “What we found is that a lot of packer/processor friends and friends in the retail and food service industry already have a good, thorough understanding of their consumer base but they really look at us at being the expert on the pigs.”

He says the National Pork Board is currently working on a demand landscape to identify ways to promote pork consumption.  “With previous consumer-based programs, we’ve really tried to target and segment a certain consumer and we’ve come to the realization that with a rapidly growing global population—there’s different wants and different needs and people find values in different cuts and different products”

The board will be unveiling more of their consumer demand research during next week’s National Pork Forum. Heins tells Brownfield new marketing strategies are also working to increase the transparency of pork production and build consumer trust.

Heins spoke with Brownfield during the Michigan Pork Conference in Lansing.

AUDIO: Interview with John Heins