Consumers today are looking for taste, flavor and convenience. The new tag line for National Pork Board (NPB), Taste What Pork Can Do, aims to deliver. After two years of consumer research, the 40-year-old Pork Checkoff moves forward focusing on reaching the next generation of pork consumers and putting more profit into the pockets of producers.
“We all believe pork producers are quick to adopt research relative to genetics, technology, nutrition, animal husbandry,” says Jesse Heimer, Heimer Hampshires and NPB board member. “And this is another great example of where research is driving the decisions by the board, by the organization, with a campaign that was built not just for the producer, but for the consumer of pork, domestically.”
Heimer points out research shows today’s consumer doesn’t see pork at the center of the plate the same way previous generations did.
“This younger generation, they consume prosciutto and a charcuterie board. They consume el pastor tacos. They consume pepperoni pizza and carnitas. We have not even mentioned pork. Most of them don’t even realize they’re eating pork,” Heimer says. “It’s using pork to sell pork.”
NPB member Gordon Spronk points out the multicultural nature of the U.S., and how pork fits into it.
“The unique attribute of pork is it’s over 100 flavors, and that’s why it appeals to multiple cultures. No other protein can say that, and we say it,” Spronk says. “We’re not the other anything anymore. You know what we are? We’re pork.”
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