Marketing our agricultural products is an industry in and of itself. It takes a lot of adaptation and consumer savvy to know how to get the message to a consumer populace that is changing in how it ingests information and what information it wants to have. Compound that with a year like 2020, and it makes for an interesting challenge. Iowa Pork has been doing all it can to make sure the story of Iowa?s pork industry is told to consumers in a year that has been anything but normal.
AUDIO: Full interview with Joyce Hoppes of the Iowa Pork Producers
Joyce Hoppes is the Consumer Information Director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). She says that promotion has taken on a different look because of COVID-19. It put them in a position where they had to focus on the virtual aspect of product promotion.
If there was a silver lining to being backed into that corner, it was the fact that IPPA was able to really hone their skills when it comes to virtual promotion with consumers and education. They had been involved for some time, but the pandemic forced them to really put a lot of effort into that virtual presence. Hoppes says that the virtual promotions received great responses.
While consumers have had a growing interest in where their food comes from, it rose to a fever pitch early during the pandemic when there were concerns about the food supply. Hoppes said this was another time for the IPPA to make hay when the sun shined, and to share the story of how sustainable the Iowa pork industry is and show the hard work of the producers.
As IPPA looks at October Pork Month, their goals are two-fold. One is to remind consumers how much the pork industry does to employ people in Iowa and to also provide specials on products to get consumers thinking about the benefits of pork in their diets.
You can learn even more about what the IPPA is doing to promote pork during October Pork Month and all year round by visiting their website.
