Real Pork launched as new strategy for National Pork Board

The National Pork Board wants America to wake up and get real. Through its new master-brand strategy, the Pork Board invites consumers to experience the authenticity and flavor Real Pork provides.

Pork sales have been really strong during the pandemic, even through the summer, says Angie Krieger, vice president of domestic marketing at the Pork Board. "We were thinking of this Real Pork concept prior to the pandemic. A lot of consumers are questioning what they can trust in an environment that is really cluttered."

The shift in buying and cooking habits the pandemic created accelerated the efforts, she says. "Six months in, consumers are weary of meal preparation, they want new experiences and to travel."

Real pork is going to be integrated into everything done at the National Pork Board from here on out, says Krieger. "This is going to be our way of telling our farm to fork story in a way we never have before."

During the pandemic, retail sales of pork surged as consumers cooked more at home, purchasing different products than they normally do and experimenting with new recipes. Real Pork aims to not only sustain the growth from pandemic purchasing but extend it long term by highlighting pork's advantages.

Those advantages begin in the barn, says Krieger, so telling the authentic stories of pig farmers and pig farms – and how pork's sustainability creates a protein consumers can feel good about feeding their family – will be a critical part of how Real Pork comes to life.

The first introduction of Real Pork to consumers comes in September, and focuses on "Pork as a Passport," which celebrates pork's position as a culturally relevant protein around the world. It encourages small adventures for weary quarantine cooks by showcasing delicious pork dishes from next door and across the globe.

Pork as a Passport will help consumers travel through their taste buds via inspiration that will be found in digital, social media, video, and a new landing page at pork.org/realpork. A few examples of planned activities include:

• Matching pig farmers with global chefs to connect over pork product
• Highlighting globally inspired pork recipes with modern photography
• Engaging a family psychologist to provide insight about the importance of family meals
• Sharing information on global recipes and flavors using pork through social media influencers
• Connecting U.S. chefs with international chefs to cook and together, create rich sharable videos for online and social media
• Highlighting pork in the most authentic, real and delicious way possible, through street food in a multicultural effort called Menu Urbano

As activities come to life, they will be posted on the new landing page and the National Pork Board Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts.