USMEF to Showcase Pork Ribs on Japan’s Largest Restaurant Portal
USMEF to Showcase Pork Ribs on Japan’s Largest Restaurant Portal
Internet portals and search engines have become extremely influential to consumers’ buying decisions, and can offer tremendous exposure for new products being introduced into a market. This trend is one of the major reasons USMEF is utilizing the “Guru Navi” (Gourmet Navigator) portal to familiarize Japanese consumers with U.S. pork back ribs.
Japan is the No. 1 value market for U.S. pork, setting a single-market record last year with pork plus pork variety meat exports of $1.55 billion. To grow the market even further, USMEF has been marketing selected pork cuts not traditionally utilized in Japanese cuisine – including the introduction of pork back ribs.
The Guru Navi portal, which debuted in 1996, was a pioneering Web search tool in Japan and its popularity has been steadily gaining momentum ever since. The site is estimated to have been viewed by more than 10 million separate users, and estimated use of the portal is a remarkable 850 million page views per month (about 28 million per day).
U.S. pork ribs are highlighted on Japan’s leading restaurant portal
“The Guru Navi portal really has remarkable reach, making it the perfect vehicle for introducing a relatively new product in Japan such as pork back ribs,” said Greg Hanes, USMEF assistant vice president of international marketing and programs. “As far as the growth potential for U.S. back ribs is concerned, we have really just begun to introduce them in Japan. So a Web portal that reaches millions of consumers and thousands of restaurateurs is the perfect tool to help us continue to grow the market.”
From August 20 through September 25, USMEF will utilize support from the Pork Checkoff Program and the Market Access Program to conduct an “American Pork Back Rib & Spare Rib Fair 2009” through 48 Tokyo-area restaurants affiliated with Guru-Navi. A wide range of restaurant types will participate, including American dining, casual Japanese, Western and Asian. All participants will be using menu inserts during the promotion, providing excellent point-of-purchase exposure for U.S. pork ribs. The promotion will build upon the well-established USMEF theme “Erabarete No. 1” (Chosen #1 By You), which highlights U.S. pork’s position as the leading imported pork in Japan.
“This promotion is a new approach for USMEF,” said Hanes, “but we are very excited about its potential because effective Web-based promotion is taking on such great importance to both consumers and our industry partners in the foodservice and retail sectors.”
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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.
USMEF to Showcase Pork Ribs on Japan’s Largest Restaurant Portal
Internet portals and search engines have become extremely influential to consumers’ buying decisions, and can offer tremendous exposure for new products being introduced into a market. This trend is one of the major reasons USMEF is utilizing the “Guru Navi” (Gourmet Navigator) portal to familiarize Japanese consumers with U.S. pork back ribs.
Japan is the No. 1 value market for U.S. pork, setting a single-market record last year with pork plus pork variety meat exports of $1.55 billion. To grow the market even further, USMEF has been marketing selected pork cuts not traditionally utilized in Japanese cuisine – including the introduction of pork back ribs.
The Guru Navi portal, which debuted in 1996, was a pioneering Web search tool in Japan and its popularity has been steadily gaining momentum ever since. The site is estimated to have been viewed by more than 10 million separate users, and estimated use of the portal is a remarkable 850 million page views per month (about 28 million per day).
U.S. pork ribs are highlighted on Japan’s leading restaurant portal
“The Guru Navi portal really has remarkable reach, making it the perfect vehicle for introducing a relatively new product in Japan such as pork back ribs,” said Greg Hanes, USMEF assistant vice president of international marketing and programs. “As far as the growth potential for U.S. back ribs is concerned, we have really just begun to introduce them in Japan. So a Web portal that reaches millions of consumers and thousands of restaurateurs is the perfect tool to help us continue to grow the market.”
From August 20 through September 25, USMEF will utilize support from the Pork Checkoff Program and the Market Access Program to conduct an “American Pork Back Rib & Spare Rib Fair 2009” through 48 Tokyo-area restaurants affiliated with Guru-Navi. A wide range of restaurant types will participate, including American dining, casual Japanese, Western and Asian. All participants will be using menu inserts during the promotion, providing excellent point-of-purchase exposure for U.S. pork ribs. The promotion will build upon the well-established USMEF theme “Erabarete No. 1” (Chosen #1 By You), which highlights U.S. pork’s position as the leading imported pork in Japan.
“This promotion is a new approach for USMEF,” said Hanes, “but we are very excited about its potential because effective Web-based promotion is taking on such great importance to both consumers and our industry partners in the foodservice and retail sectors.”
###
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.