Inside the campaign to reposition pork for Gen Z, millennial consumers

"Nostalgia is running rampant in marketing, with myriad brands resurrecting old ads, taglines and mascots to build emotional resonance. What happens when an organization wants to do the opposite of nostalgia bait: make consumers forget its most-recognized slogan in favor of something fresher and more relevant? The National Pork Board was recently faced with such a challenge, and its journey to repositioning pig protein carries larger lessons for how legacy brands are adapting to the digital age."

"is perhaps best known for a campaign billing pork as "The Other White Meat," meaning a dependable alternative to poultry. The slogan, which debuted in 1987, is part of a rich tradition of advertising that has helped in-the-weeds agricultural groups break through to mainstream pop culture (along similar lines: "Got Milk?"). But for the National Pork Board, "The Other White Meat" created associations that proved burdensome in the long run."

The National Pork Board long promoted pork under the slogan "The Other White Meat," which positioned pork as a secondary, poultry-like option and implied pork should be white. That positioning became limiting while the board ran minimal large-scale national marketing during the rise of social and digital media. Leadership recognized the need to update perceptions and launched a revamp called "Taste What Pork Can Do," deploying cinematic ads, social content and refreshed creative. The initiative aims to reframe pork as a versatile, desirable protein, overcome legacy misconceptions, and reconnect with contemporary consumers.

Read at Marketing Dive