The Challenge
A disconnect exists between the public’s love of pork products and their negative perceptions of pork production practices. To strengthen public trust (and help ensure continued growth and avoid unnecessary government regulations), Manitoba Pork, the advocacy organization representing Manitoba’s hog farmers, on behalf of their members, needed to show consumers that the sector shares their values. Engaging the public on the sector’s ongoing investments in the areas of research, training, animal care, and environmental impact reduction, and their commitment to ongoing improvements was vital.
The 6P Solution
Working closely and collaboratively with Manitoba Pork, our team developed a Public Trust Strategy comprised of a brand strategy, risk communications plan, risk messaging matrix, critical path schematic, and multimedia communications campaign founded in the best practices of consumer engagement techniques and formats that would directly address the key consumer concerns. We rely heavily on market-based social science consumer research to ensure these elements would combine to form a strategic path forward, guiding the brand, messaging, positioning, and placement of every corporate communications effort and customer interaction for years to come. Knowing that a sector association is not seen as credible voice by the public for all key concerns, the campaign effectively leverages half a dozen topic “experts,” representing farmers, the business community, a mom, a rural economic development officer, and a veterinarian.
The Outcome
After years of reactive communications, our Public Trust Strategy gave Manitoba Pork the tools to proactively connect with today’s socially aware and health-conscious meat consumers. By leading with a platform of shared values buttressed by credible facts, the pork sector is sharing messaging that resonates in the heads and hearts of voting-age Manitobans. Annual public surveys continue to show the public trust needle moving in the sector’s favour, moving up to 89% approval (“Manitoba’s pork industry is good for Manitoba”) in our most recent public trust consumer survey.
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