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Does Pork Inspire You?
A freshly-butchered pork roast is tied off after a live demo by local butchers Lindy & Grundy during the Oct. 2010 Artisanal LA event (Photo by R.E.˜ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Sorry, carnivores, but as of today, pork is no longer "the other white meat." Sure, you can call it that, but the people behind pork, aka the National Pork Board, have officially abandoned the 25-year-old campaign slogan, and instead will now ask you to "Be Inspired" by their product.
If you already eat pork, then this one's for you. Literally. The Board says their campaign targets a specific consumer, "the more than 82 million Americans who already cook, eat and love pork." In fact, since those consumers already know that pork is a great source of protein (the goal of the "other white meat" campaign) they want those eaters to pretty much fall in love, in a big way, with pork, and with them: "Today, Pork Be inspired goes beyond basic cooking education and health to promote a deeper, more personal level of engagement with existing pork consumers."
How does one have a meaningful relationship with pig meat? Uhmmmm..... Eat pork and love it! That doesn't seem to be too much of stretch, since Americans seem to have an ongoing--and growing--fascination with a least one pork product: Bacon!
The trouble with that kind of porcine devotion is that bacon (or pork belly) is all about the fat. Pork fat rules! Right, Emeril? That's a far cry from the health-focused approach initiated in 1987. The Nutrition section of their site says the "power of pork" is that it has "less fat, great taste!" Wait, so I can't get on board the pork train by adding extra bacon to my cheeseburger? Oh, snap! But the official Pork Twitter account tells me to put bacon in my popcorn, and that they support the "bacon on everything" movement.
Getting pork lovers to really love pork (giggle, their pork "blog" is called "I <3 Pork") isn't cheap, either:
The board will spend more than $11 million to roll out the campaign in March and April. It will include national print and broadcast advertising, public relations, social media and foodservice marketing. Online advertising will begin March 7, and national television ads will begin April 11. Print ads will also begin running in food and lifestyle publications in April.
That's great and all, but should people be encouraged to eat more meat in this day and age? And if they are, should they at least take the time to learn where their pork is coming from? What do you think about pork's "Be Inspired" campaign?
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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