August 8, 2020

Pork promo campaign in UK leads to sales increase

After a five-month pork promotional campaign mounted by the UK levy body Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), a survey showed that 90% of the people who saw the promo aired on TV said that the commercial portrayed pork as a healthy food choice. 

The TV campaign promo, called "Mix Up Your Midweek", reached 26.3 million homes (94%) in the UK, with eight out of 10 people saying the TV ad made them want to buy pork—leading to a £12.4-million (US$16.24-million) sales uplift for fresh, unprocessed pork, AHDB said.

In particular, pork loin medallion sales have gone up 36% since the campaign began in October 2019.

The £2.5-million campaign sought to remind consumers of pork's versatility and nutritious qualities by focusing on a range of globally inspired midweek meals for families. The marketing push was launched with a light-hearted national TV advert, complemented by the use of digital channels, social media and in-store activity.

The marketing campaign ended in February 2020, and in its last stage, there were nearly 22 million impressions on social media and six million recipe views on video on demand, AHDB said.

Some 90% of consumers also claimed that the advert communicated that pork is a healthy food choice, with around a quarter of respondents remembering a health message.

"The latest findings on the Mix Up Midweek campaign are incredibly encouraging and we are delighted to see the continued shift in public perceptions towards pork", AHDB Board Member and Sector Chair for Pork Mike Sheldon said.

AHDB Strategy Director for Pork Angela Christison added: "…[I]t's fantastic that more consumers now see pork as a healthy, nutritious and tasty source of protein and one of the most versatile food ingredients around".

For pork-based recipes and how-to guides, as well as information on the different pork cuts and healthy eating, you may visit lovepork.co.uk.