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Pork promoted through good consumer impressionsPork exports have been a driving force for pork producers, but a push for a growth in domestic pork consumption is being helped with programs such as The Other White Meat Tour 2009. Producing good consumer impressions of pork and its nutritional value is the purpose of the 28-week tour, funded by pork checkoff dollars, which has 21 stops across the country. The tour is in its second year of promoting pork and giving consumers a good experience by teaching them about the good taste and nutrition that pork provides, according to Traci Rodemeyer, manager of The Other White Meat Tour. "We hand out pork samples for consumers to enjoy the wonderful taste and juiciness in pork. Consumers are often misled that pork isn't juicy, so we also want to teach them about proper preparation and cooking," she said. The National Pork Board is using the tour to educate consumers about pork's versatility, taste and nutritional value. Celebrity help Three years ago the National Pork Board started their relationship with Food Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri. "Guy was a perfect fit for helping us out with the tour because he truly loves cooking pork," said Rodemeyer. "He was working with us on other projects with pork and, when we asked him to help us with the tour, he was more than excited." Fieri developed three new pork recipes, which are used during the cooking demonstration part of the tour. He has also helped promote the tour through satellite interviews. "Pork is a cut above the rest because it's so versatile," said Fieri. "No matter what your 'pork-sonality'--whether you like it low and slow on the barbeque or prefer to toss a tenderloin on the grates--there's something out there for you." Fieri says pork is quick and easy to prepare. It can be as simple as throwing together some spices to create a custom rub or using fresh fruits as a savory stuffing or topping with pork. Fieri likes to add some sass to summertime meals by pairing interesting flavors with pork to create a succulent seasonal centerpiece that can be served up on the table in no time. Next pork personality Along with Fieri's help, the tour is searching for the next pork personality. People interested can submit a two-minute video explaining their best tip for grilling pork. "Multiple factors will be considered when selecting the 'top hog' including creativity and originality. Their passion for pork needs to come through loud and clear," said Rodemeyer. "The videos, which can be submitted through August 31, will be reviewed and three finalists will be chosen," she added. "At the finale, held in New York City on October 9, the finalists will participate in a grilling event with Guy Fieri, with the winner being awarded $5,000 and a new grill." This event brings in a huge media draw with much national media hype, giving pork good press. Supporting local communities The Other White Meat Tour is not only sharing the secrets of grilling pork, but also allowing America's pork producers to give back to each community by donating pork to local food banks at 12 of the cities on the tour. Consumers at each of the tour's stops can enter the Pork's #1 Fan contest by getting up on the tour's stage and telling why they are the biggest pork fan. "For each entry in the contest, 10 pounds of pork will be given to feed those in need, through local food banks--that's equivalent to 50 meals per entry," said Rodemeyer. At a recent stop in Memphis, Tenn., 520 pounds were donated to the food bank. Previous stops on the tour resulted in 400 pounds of pork donated to the Houston Food Bank, 480 pounds in Austin and 500 pounds in Wichita. Choosing the stops The tour travels the country from April through October with 21 stops. Rodemeyer said the stops were determined based on the best opportunity for media coverage and promotion of the event. In order to know what kind of impression is made at each stop, she said they track how many consumers they are reaching with the good word about pork. After five stops, they have handed out 97,000 pork loin samples. More than 126,000 consumer impressions have been made at the event sites. Visitors to the site can also leave their e-mail address to receive more information about pork. She said they have received 3,200 e-mail addresses. More than 10,000 recipe brochures have been handed out, as well. Crew A crew of four travels with the tour across the country. The team is made up of college students from across the nation who have a passion for promoting pork. This crew is not only preparing the meat which is handed out as samples, but they are also ambassadors for pork and are trained to be able to answer questions from consumers and the media. Pork producers are also invited to help with the tour and greet consumers with their story about raising pork. This also gives them a chance to see how their checkoff dollars are being used. "Our research shows that consumers want to have a positive experience with a product before buying it," said Rodemeyer. "The Other White Meat Tour facilitates that positive experience." For more information about The Other White Meat Tour 2009, go to: www.theotherwhitemeat.com/aspx/promos/tour09/index.aspx. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremer@hpj.com.
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