As we progress into 2024, our team at SA Pork is passionately navigating the fast-paced industry. We are extremely motivated about the prospects for 2024 and eagerly anticipate the journey ahead. Allow us to take a moment to update you on the six strategic initiatives that we have begun implementing this year.
1. Media engagement: Amplifying pork facts and dispelling myths
This year, we’re intensifying our efforts to promote pork facts and dispel myths through an array of print and digital channels. Our goal is to reshape perceptions of pork in South Africa. Building on our 2023 campaigns, we’re adding nine new facts to our communication strategy and introducing radio into the media mix. This expansion into radio aims to reach new communities, instilling confidence in pork preparation, busting myths, and highlighting pork’s nutritional value. We’re maintaining a robust partnership with the Division Human Nutrition at Stellenbosch University to further research pork’s nutritional benefits and effectively communicate these to diverse audience segments.
2. SA Pork library: A valuable resource now available
Alongside our consumer-facing website, we’ve launched the SA Pork Recipe Stock Library. This resource allows retailers and media partners to access and download a collection of top-notch SA Pork recipes, high-quality images, and videos. This creative content can, in turn, be branded and shared with their customers and readers. We believe this library will greatly assist our partners in promoting pork and enhancing its visibility across South Africa.
3. Strengthening retailer partnerships in 2024 and beyond
Our objective this year is to strengthen our collaboration with retail partners, exploring even more ways to support their pork promotion efforts. The pork library is just the beginning. We see immense potential in backing up retail pork promotions with informative pork facts and myth-busting communications. We plan to further explore various concepts and communication channels, including in-store print, digital promotions, social media shopper campaigns, competitions, and possible partnerships in events and shows.
4. Culinary schools: Nourishing the disadvantaged and educating future chefs
The community feeding scheme led by Chef Peter Ayub at Sense of Taste Culinary School in Cape Town has been a significant success. SA Pork donates fresh South African pork through Winelands Pork to the school in order to assist preparing over 6 000 pork meals per month. We aim to replicate this success by partnering with additional culinary schools in other provinces to reach more communities in need. We also plan to enhance the ‘pork chapters’ in culinary curriculums with guest lectures and insightful information, educating young chefs about the sustainable production of pork and offering a glimpse into the South African pork industry.
5. New food brand partnerships to reach broader audiences
Following our successful collaboration with Top Fruit in 2023, where we paired their Pink Lady® apples with South African fresh pork in exciting recipes, we plan to extend our partnerships to other food brands this year. These collaborations will explore innovative ways to inspire consumers, activate their tastebuds, and demonstrate the versatility of pork.
6. Enhanced focus on social media and digital communication
The success of our 2023 social media campaigns has encouraged us to allocate a larger portion of our 2024 budget to promoting pork on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. With over 250 000 video views of our recipes across social platforms in December alone, we’re confident of the impact of our social media efforts. We plan to further elevate the exposure of our new pork recipes and factual content throughout the year.
We will keep you updated on our activities throughout 2024 and share with you the work being implemented across various channels, including our partnerships with media and retailers, as well as our own platforms.
Looking ahead, we are extremely excited for 2024 and are committed to maximizing our activities to showcase the unique benefits of fresh South African pork to all South Africans.
Until next time!
