About the Guest

José de Jesús is senior director of multicultural marketing at the National Pork Board. He is responsible for building awareness of pork specifically to multicultural consumers – Hispanic, African American and Asian American audiences. He oversees multicultural marketing strategy development and implementation and oversees all insights-driven marketing, public relations, digital and social media efforts for multicultural markets in the U.S.  – through the development of insights-driven public relations, digital and marketing plans. As a bilingual communicator, José manages all multicultural marketing efforts and consumer outreach. He is also responsible for engaging and educating pork consumers through seasonal programs.

What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig?

• Multicultural Consumers and Pork Demand: Multicultural consumers are increasingly shaping the future of pork demand and consumption. Their preferences, misconceptions, and cultural relevance are important factors that the industry needs to consider.
• Hispanic Consumers and Pork: Research shows that while Hispanics appreciate pork, they may not fully understand its versatility and nutritional value. The Ponle Pork platform aims to address this gap by emphasizing pork’s taste, nutrition, and its cultural relevance.
• National Pork Board’s Strategy: The National Pork Board has developed a strategic platform to increase pork affinity among African American Millennial and Gen Z consumers. The strategy involves connecting fresh pork cuts to the cultural flavors of soul food in a nutritious manner.
• Addressing Misconceptions: Both the Ponle Pork and Don’t Miss the Flavor platforms aim to address misconceptions about pork among Hispanic and African American consumers respectively. They focus on promoting the taste, versatility, and nutritional value of pork.
• Importance of Checkoff Dollars: The industry’s investment of Checkoff dollars in these consumers signifies the large market share they represent. Understanding their preferences and addressing misconceptions about pork could potentially lead to an increase in pork demand and consumption among these groups.
• José’s “golden nugget”