According to Kantar research, pork medallion sales increased by 24% while sales of all promoted cuts grew by 13.9% over 12 months. During the past two years, the same campaign has generated a total of £25m in additional sales for the UK pork industry.
The tongue-in-cheek TV adverts featured a man dressed as a giant disgruntled chicken and were seen by 83% of UK households. According to AHDB, every pound spent on marketing generated an additional £7.31 in sales.
The Kantar research also showed the campaign had successfully improved consumer perception of fresh pork as “suitable for midweek meals” by 10 percentage points compared to pre-advertising.
Younger consumers
The latest campaign results showed almost half of the £3.2m additional sales generated came from younger customers in the target category, aged 35 to 54 years old.
To support the TV adverts, the campaign enlisted celebrities and social media influencers, such as health and fitness guru Lucy Mecklenburgh, who encouraged shoppers to “break up with boring”. The campaign also joined up with retailers and independent butchers to help grow sales.
The next phase of the campaign will see a new TV advert hitting screens in autumn 2019 and early in 2020.
AHDB strategy director Angela Christison said: “The uplift in sales is hugely encouraging during both phases of the campaign; however the long game is to switch more consumers over to selecting pork more often. This is a particular aim with younger consumers in order to create habits that will sustain the industry in the future.
“This campaign has attracted new consumers to choose pork by showcasing the ease of cooking this incredibly versatile protein. This is precisely what it set out to achieve and inspiring consumers in this way is building a new image for this delicious meat.”
