Ontario Pork gets Cheeky and See Results With New Campaign

Ontario Pork gets cheeky and see results with new campaign Jennifer Davidson, Ontario Pork

What makes pork stand out from other proteins in the meat bunker? In May of 2020, Ontario Pork set out to demonstrate that pork’s versatility is why consumers keep coming back to it time and time again, launching its Many Ways to Pork consumer campaign.

Taking a slightly cheekier approach than campaigns in the past, Ontario Pork’s Many Ways to Pork campaign looked to highlight the overall versatility, quality and value of pork.

The campaign includes a summer and fall flight of print, web, social media and digital ads targeting urban, foodie audiences – where research shows the greatest opportunity to change buying habits without racing to the bottom in a pricing war.

Print ads appeared in Horizon and Condo Nest magazines as well as digital ads at Dundas Square and in a selection of Toronto condo elevators, targeting downtown Toronto commuters and condo dwellers.

The Ontario Pork team created a simple web landing page to act as a hub for the campaign. It was straight to the point, with Ontario Pork branding front and centre and featured recipes for seasonal cuts as well as the campaign videos.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The summer flight of the campaign saw the following results: • 8.3 million views by Ontario consumers • 26,889 visits to the branded campaign landing page • A 214% increase in web traffic to the Ontario Pork recipe pages • The ‘where to buy’ page saw a 769% increase in traffic • All pages (including the Producer Profiles) saw at least an 85% increase in traffic • A substantial increase in Facebook followers; (3,962 vs 2,734) and an incredible amount of positive engagement through comments and “likes”

The campaign also has had some indirect effects that ultimately impact how Ontario consumers perceive and choose pork. Searches on Google for local pork and pork-related queries (i.e. how to cook, recipes, etc.) increased across the province, lining up with Ontario Pork’s summer campaign’s flight. It’s the most seen in the last five years.

After such success, it was only natural to expand the campaign into the retail space with some new pointof-sale pieces that complement the campaign’s fall flight while meeting retailers’ needs. Ontario Pork developed a 72-inch by 6-inch cling showcasing a cornucopia of the many great cuts of pork and a suite of 12inch by 6-inch clings featuring four of the most popular pork items, sausages, ribs, roast and tenderloin.

“We really do listen when our brand partners speak,” said Jeremy Yim, Ontario Pork Retail and Food Service Marketing Specialist, “I’ve been receiving requests for images of delicious-looking cooked meat, and these new clings fulfill that need.”

So, what do retailers think of the campaign? “The photos of the meat are beautiful, exactly what we have been looking for, and the taglines are tactfully humourous,” said Denningers’ deli and fresh meat category manager Cherylan Barnes. “We expect that they will inspire consumers to try new cuts and new ways to cook pork.” Ontario Pork will find even more Many Ways to Pork in 2021 as it plans to continue the campaign with new videos, ads and recipes all design to showcase the versatility of pork.

For more information on Ontario Pork’s Many Ways to Pork campaign visit manywaystopork.ca. If you’re interested in our brand partnership program or want to order your free POS material, contact Jeremy.yim@ontariopork. on.ca or 519-767-4600 ext. 1303.