The National Pork Producers Council has gone "hog wild" with excitement over the research findings of its 1987 national television advertising campaign, "Pork. The Other White Meat."


In a tracking study conducted by Omaha-based Rozmarin & Associates, Inc., for the NPPC, Des Moines, consumers' unaided association of pork as a white meat increased 163% in markets exposed to the "White Meat" television advertising in its first seven months. Consumer recall of the primary message of the campaign - that pork is a white meat - was as high as 72% in cities that received an enhanced level of television exposure to the campaign.

The campaign, financed with pork producer checkoff funds, is coordinated by the NPPC in association with the National Pork Board.

As the second of two waves, the research was measured against a benchmark (Wave I) study conducted by R&A in January and February, 1987, before the "White Meat" campaign got underway in March, 1987. Wave II research findings were based on telephone interviews with 1,800 consumers between the ages of 25-54 in six cities that received varying levels of media exposure to the campaign since its introduction. The television campaign was placed in 17 major metropolitan areas and was supplemented by national magazine advertising in 18 lifestyle, women's service and food magazines.

Other findings showed that consumers have begun to accept the fact that pork is surprisingly low in calories and cholesterol, that it contains a number of important nutrients and that it is both convenient and versatile.

Wave I

In Wave I, telephone interviews were conducted among 1,200 men and women living in six selected markets. This study conducted to serve as a. benchmark for future tracking studies.

The following were some of the key findings of that study:

  • White meat had a three to two preference over red meat (42% vs. 28%).
  • Respondents who preferred white meat tend to be: Female, college educated or have formal technical training.
  • The preference for white meat over red meat was shown to be because it is perceived to be leaner, healthier, have less cholesterol and be lower in calories.
  • Chicken was the dominant share of mind leader for all types of white meat.
  • Pork held a fourth position in white meat share of mind with a 9% awareness.
  • Taste was shown to be the strongest influencer when selecting a particular cut of meat. Nutritional value, ease of preparation, versatility and price are also important but to a lesser degree.
  • Chicken and fish demonstrated the greatest competitive advantage over beef, fresh pork and processed meat in the six image areas studied in this survey.
  • The average consumer perceived their use of fresh pork to be one ounce during a two-week period.
  • Chicken and fish had displaced a large portion of the previous processed meat and beef purchases.

Wave II

The second major phase was designed to measure the performance of the advertising campaign in four areas, says Thomas L. Rozmarin, president of R&A. The first was the level of consumers' association of pork with white meat on an unaided basis. The second was to gauge attitudes toward pork's nutritional value, cholesterol, calories, ease of preparation, taste and versatility. The third was to determine the level of recall of the "Other White Meat" campaign and four, to identify differences in attitudes and perceptions of pork comparing the targeted markets and the various types of media exposure.

The campaign was targeted at the main food buyer or server in the family, says Rozmarin. The primary market was women age 25-54 with children living at home. The secondary market was women in this age group without children as well as men in this age category.

The advertising campaign ran at varying media exposure levels in six cities between March and September. Cleveland and Sacramento received "double" television exposure along with national magazine advertising; Pittsburgh and Denver got "normal" television and magazine coverage and Baltimore and San Diego were exposed only to magazine advertising.

Telephone survey

After the first seven months of the campaign, a 15-minute, telephone survey was conducted among the 1,800 respondents in the six surveyed markets. Basic information, such as age of the respondent, marital status, educational and income level and household make-up was collected, as well as information on the respondent's overall preference for red or white meat, the share of mind for various types of white meat and where pork ranked in that list, and how the respondents rated certain attributes in selecting meats, such as price, preparation and taste. The interview also investigated the respondents' image evaluation of meats (beef, chicken, fish, fresh pork) and processed meat (bacon, sausage and luncheon meats), as well as their general consumption of pork - were they serving the product more or less, and if they were serving it more, why were they changing? Last, respondents were asked about their recall of the ad campaign.

Wave II findings

Findings from Wave II saw significant improvements in consumers' association of pork and white meat and their image attributes of pork. The following are some of the key findings:

  • The association of pork and white meat increased substantially since the 1987 NPPC campaign started. Unaided awareness more than tripled in the double and normal TV markets and it increased two-fold in the no TV markets. Specifically, the awareness gains were: 10% to 35% in the double TV markets;
    12% to 29% in the normal TV markets;
    6% to 14% in the no TV markets.

  • The campaign has been successful in achieving levels of unaided association with a product category (white meat) that is rarely achieved given the type of industry, level of exposure and the target audience.

  • Pork's share of mind is strongest in the following categories of primary food shoppers between the ages of 25 and 54: Professional or technical households;
    College-educated individuals;
    Households with total incomes of $45,000 and up

  • A significant number of consumers in all media markets recalled something about pork being a white meat. The current levels compared to Wave I results indicate a major difference in all three types of media markets. The Wave II levels of awareness compared to Wave I were: 21% to 72% in the double TV markets;
    20% to 56% in the normal TV markets;
    12% to 35% in the no TV markets.

  • Major improvements have been made in the way consumers look at pork in terms of its versatility, amount of calories, ease of preparation and level of cholesterol.

  • One half (50%) of the consumers in the double TV markets prefer white meat. This increased from two out of five (42%) in Wave I.

  • Consumers are more likely today to prefer white meat for health reasons than prior to the start of the NPPC campaign.

Table 1


Rozmarin said that the recall of the advertising, the increased awareness of pork as a white meat, and the association of pork's positive attributes is evidence that "The Other White Meat" message is succeeding in breaking through the clutter of today's advertising environment.

"These numbers are phenomenal. It is extraordinary that at what most advertising experts would consider to be a relatively low level of exposure, this campaign has been so successful in capturing consumers' attention and changing their attitudes."

Barry Pfouts, NPPC's director of marketing, said, "These results outpace anything anyone could have imagined...particularly after only seven months. Any advertiser, even those spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year, would love to have their advertising perform this well."

ARTICLE SIDEBAR

Research led to a new position for pork

In the summer of 1986, months before the "Other White Meat" campaign first appeared on television or in magazines, extensive consumer research was conducted on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council by Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Inc., the advertising agency that created the campaign, to determine consumers' perceptions and attitudes about pork.

"This research and our review of all of the existing studies showed us that pork suffered from years of stereotyping," says Mark Williams, vice president and account supervisor at Bozell. "A number of myths existed about pork, and this out-of-date information was affecting the way consumers were looking at the product today. Pork, we found, had become the 'second-class citizen' of the meat world."

Consumers' perceptions

The research confirmed, however, that the problem existed solely with consumers' perceptions of pork, not with the product itself. It was this discovery which motivated the agency's creative teams more than anything else.

"Consumers had become misinformed," explains Williams. "That presented a terrific opportunity for us. We're in the communications business, and communications, properly done, could resolve pork's problem."

The research also showed that white meat is for the most part the epitome of what consumers say they look for in meat, says Williams.

"White meat is what consumers told us they prefer. We also found that pork compares favorably with what had traditionally been considered to be white meats."

Repositioning pork

Williams describes this as having been a revelation because pork had been positioned as part of the red meat industry for decades, and in most consumers' minds, pork was a red meat. Repositioning pork as a white meat was an enormous step for the pork industry.

"It was a bold campaign and was initially difficult for many of those involved to accept because it is the converse of what pork was seen at the time. Extensive testing of the concept confirmed, however, that consumers found the advertising to be both extremely captivating and believable. In fact, the independent companies doing the concept research told us that it was among the strongest concepts they had ever tested. Now the NPPC is letting the public know that pork isn't what it used to be. Pork is now a white meat."

It is a more aggressive approach than one would find in most commodity advertising, says Williams, because it completely repositions the entire product category.

The result?

"Phenomenal. Better than anything we could have hoped for”, claims Williams. "The campaign is doing a fabulous job of breaking through the clutter of food advertising, and consumers are starting to respond."

ARTICLE SIDEBAR 2

Consumer demand for pork steadily rising

The apparent increase in consumer pork demand during the first 11 months of 1987 put a profitable $500 million extra dollars in the pockets of pork producers that would not have been there under normal conditions. This estimate, by Ag Economist Glenn Grimes, is a conservative one based on the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture retail price study figures.

Though pork supplies are up almost 2% over a year ago, retail prices also have risen 6.5% from the same time last year. "Under normal conditions when supplies are up substantially, we would expect retail prices to react negatively by about 4-4 1/2%, however, that was not the case with the pork market from January through November," Grimes said. "All indications point to a steady increase in consumer demand for pork."

Grimes believes several factors combined to play a major role in increased pork consumption during 1987 including extensive state and national advertising and promotional efforts, financed by the legislative checkoff. A second element in this equation has been the improvements in pork quality, including leanness, over the last decade.

"It is highly likely that the efforts of producers to improve their product and the successful 'Pork. The Other White Meat Campaign™' are beginning to pay off," Grimes said.

The apparent upward trend in consumer demand should continue into 1988. A recent USDA Economic Research Service report estimated that per-capita pork consumption in the coming year is expected to rise four pounds, up from 59 to 63 pounds.