Sysco Slammers Serve Up Pork Inspiration

Miniature, mobile “billboards” showcasing pork will pop up soon on the laptop computer lids of more than 10,000 Sysco foodservice sales professionals, and state pork associations are praising this turnkey marketing opportunity.

“Since more than half of all pork goes into foodservice outlets, this was a no-brainer,” says Jane Reeson, domestic marketing director for the Nebraska Pork Producers Association. “This promotion saves us time and money, and it gives us the opportunity to be part of a more aggressive marketing campaign than the state associations could support on our own.”

The vinyl slammers, which promote the new 145 degree end-point cooking temperature for pork, will be affixed to Sysco sales representatives’ laptop lids throughout December. The message will be visible to an estimated 300,000 Sysco customers as the representatives enter their orders into the computer.

“It can sometimes be tricky to get in the door of foodservice organizations, especially on a state level,” says Stacie Schafer, state marketing manager for the Pork Checkoff. “The Sysco marketing campaign offers a unique opportunity, because no funding or labor was required from America’s 43 state pork associations.”

The slammer promotion involves all of Sysco’s distribution centers, which are located in 48 states. “Little things can have a big impact, and these slammers offer a great way for the states to coordinate pork’s message across the country,” Reeson says.

Turnkey program magnifies marketing efforts
The Sysco slammers are the latest offering in the Pork Checkoff’s turnkey program, which debuted in 2011 to help state pork associations maximize their marketing.

“While the Checkoff can offer some cost-share dollars on advertising, we were looking for ways to extend Checkoff promotions related to foodservice, public relations and retail campaigns, especially with the launch of Pork® Be inspiredsm,” Schafer says.

Through the various turnkey opportunities offered in 2011, state associations have been encouraged to build relationships with local retailers by distributing point-of-sale materials, pork coupons and more. To foster public relations efforts, state associations have helped coordinate social media events on Twitter and Facebook as well as participating directly with their state media contacts.
“We like the Checkoff’s turnkey programs, because they open up new marketing opportunities we may not have developed on our own,” Reeson says.

Source: Pork Checkoff.