DENVER (March 24, 2004) – Differentiating U.S. pork from its international ...
DENVER (March 24, 2004) – Differentiating U.S. pork from its international competitors in order to help global consumers make more informed purchase decisions and to grow market share are the main factors behind the Global Pork Positioning Study, a joint research project conducted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and funded by the National Pork Board. The United States is the second-largest exporter of pork behind Canada.
“Identifying the key messages about U.S. pork that resonate with international consumers was the idea behind the Global Pork Positioning Study,” said Tom Lipetzky, USMEF vice president, international programs. “In an already highly competitive marketplace, it’s also becoming more of a ‘branded’ world. It’s critical we develop unique positioning and messaging that enable global consumers to quickly identify that U.S. pork is a superior product – great tasting, high quality, nutritious, safe – and a good value.”
Effectively promoting U.S. pork is an evolving process as some markets are maturing while new ones are opening up. “In more mature markets, brands are an increasingly important tool for differentiating U.S. products in the international marketplace, and they provide an opportunity to grow market share,” he said. “This research project has provided additional insight into consumer buying behavior, helping us develop a more refined and ‘ownable’ position for U.S. pork that supports both branded and commodity products.”
The research was conducted in Japan, Mexico and Poland. Japan and Mexico are the No. 1 and No. 2 export markets for U.S. pork (including variety meat), valued at $784.2 million and $295 million, respectively, in 2003. Poland, one of the 10 countries to join the European Union (EU) in May 2004, is representative of the growing opportunity in the expanding EU market. “The program’s objective was to survey consumers to determine which messages about U.S. pork were most well-received in each of these markets,” said Lipetzky.
Lipetzky noted that the research showed consumers in all three countries ranked the concepts of safety and quality assurance at the top for believability, appeal and ability to influence their opinions about U.S. pork. “The research demonstrates that consumers were strongly influenced by messages that the U.S. pork industry has the most rigorous quality standards in the world and that our producers use highly nutritious, well-balanced feed to produce a wholesome, tasty product,” he explained.
The strongest message points were then refined into a theme and ads were developed for key industry publications to test their appeal and effectiveness. “We recently ran ads in several magazines and should have initial feedback on this new positioning and messaging for U.S. pork within a few months,” said Lipetzky. “And we’re already sharing this information with our international offices so they can begin incorporating it into their promotional activities.”
While pork is the most popular meat in the world, representing nearly 50 percent of daily meat protein consumption worldwide, the U.S. is facing stiff competition from Canada, Brazil and the EU, and market access issues in some countries are still a concern. Despite these obstacles, worldwide U.S. pork exports have broken volume records each year for more than a decade. U.S. pork exports (including variety meat) totaled 757,905 metric tons (mt) in 2003, up from 726,357 mt in 2002. The value of U.S. pork exports rose 5 percent to $1.582 billion, breaking the record set in 2001.
The competitive strengths of the U.S. pork industry in world markets include recognition by the international trade that the U.S. has one of the strictest food safety systems in the world and the ability of the U.S. to supply large volumes of chilled pork by cut. “We’re continuing to build on our traditional strengths while working to create additional export opportunities by developing an ‘ownable’ position for U.S. pork in the minds of our global customers,” noted Lipetzky. “Consumer buying decisions – both at home and abroad – are increasingly influenced by branding which conveys a higher perception of value and helps simplify consumers’ choices.”
The U.S. Meat Export Federation 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, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.
-- USMEF --