Ninety-two per cent of consumers agreed the latest AHDB TV advert communicated that pork medallions were a healthy mealtime choice.
The marketing campaign, which is now in its fifth year, ran for six weeks in January and February, kicking off with three weeks of TV adverts, aired during prime time viewing.
Its aim was to educate consumers that certain cuts of pork are lean and low in fat, while encouraging them to consider pork as a healthy midweek meal option. Following the campaign, the number of consumers agreeing they are interested in trying new pork dishes or recipes is at a three year high.
And according to the newly released results, the campaign has strong ability to shift consumer perceptions with 75 per cent of consumers saying they feel differently about pork medallions after seeing the campaign – with six in ten consumers saying they are likely to buy pork medallions.
There has also been a significant shift in people perceiving pork medallions as high in protein, and an enjoyable and delicious meal option.
A further 61 per cent of consumers say the campaign altered their perception of pork shoulder after seeing it, with 84 per cent agreeing the campaign communicated it as a good midweek meal solution, easy to cook at home and can be used in a number of dishes.
During its entirety, AHDB’s Mix Up Midweek campaign reached 76 per cent of UK households and generated nearly 30 million impressions across social media channels, video-on-demand and online video.
The latest results come at a time of immense challenge for the pork sector.
AHDB’s Director of Marketing Liam Byrne said: “Lean pork is easy to cook and can be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet, so we are really pleased to see that the latest phase of our “Mix Up Midweek with Pork” campaign is having a positive impact on consumers perceptions of pork as a healthy mealtime choice”.
“AHDB is committed to working with wider industry to support our pork levy payers during this particularly challenging time. This campaign is part of a long-term strategy to positively promote the values and value of pork and latest data shows that pork sales have been out-performing chicken versus pre-pandemic retail sales.”
Although not as a direct result of the campaign, in the last year, sales of both the campaign cuts featured in the AHDB Mix Up Midweek campaign increased. Sales of medallions rose 58.1 per cent and sales of shoulder rose 9.4 per cent on pre-pandemic levels respectively.
