Scots shoppers told to look for the label

Scots shoppers are being told to look for the label at the launch of a new Specially Selected Pork campaign.

The spring campaign kicks off this week and includes brand new outdoor ads covering both billboards and smaller 6-sheet or bus-shelter formats, over a four week period as well as branded taxis in Glasgow and Edinburgh for the next year.

Both will still use the popular “get some pork on that fork” line, but also go further to get shoppers to look for the label and choose Specially Selected Pork.

Only pork carrying the Specially Selected Pork label is guaranteed to be farm assured from Scotland, and carrying the promise of higher standards in welfare and traceability offered by Quality Meat Scotland’s assurance scheme.

Specially Selected Pork will also be sponsoring a series of one-minute healthy living programmes on STV over the next two weeks.

Laurent Vernet, Head of Marketing for QMS said: “Our sponsorship of this healthy eating strand enables us to reach key shoppers in large numbers and is well aligned with the healthy attributes of pork.

“This opportunity builds on last year’s sponsorship of St. Andrews Day programmes which helped boost consumer awareness of the Specially Selected Pork brand.

“We’ll also be supporting the campaign with excellent new material at the point of sale, including retail kits for Scottish members of the Scotch Butchers Club featuring recipes, "how to cook" booklets and a new poster.

“In multiple retailers, we are organising a tour of 70 leading Scottish stores that source Specially Selected Pork, where our brand ambassadors will advise shoppers on the quality assurances underpinning the brand.”

On top of highlighting fresh pork, new leaflets are being produced to highlight that branded cooked meats such as ham and pork carry the same guarantees of farm assurance.

The foodservice sector is also going to be targeted, with a seminar being hosted in April by UK chef of the year Simon Hulstone aimed at helping chefs use pork more creatively and effectively.

The latest stage in the campaign follows on the radio competition and press advertising in January.

Figures from independent research firm TNS show that in Scotland in the four weeks to 25th January 2009 there was a value increase of retail sales of 15% to £5 million, but retail volume also jumped 6% to 1,039 tonnes. This outstripped British figures, with 9% growth in retail value and only 2% in retail volume.  The January figures also highlight more Scots were getting pork on their fork, an increase of 4% year on year.

For more information about Specially Selected Pork, visit www.speciallyselectedpork.co.uk