Ontario Pork unveils redesigned educational tool at the Royal
By Kate Ayers
Staff Reporter
Farms.com
Ontario Pork’s redesigned Pig Mobile made its debut at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair last week.
Stacey Ash, manager of communications and consumer marketing for Ontario Pork, said it was time for a revamp of one of Ontario Pork’s largest public outreach tools.
“Part of the cycle when you’re looking at marketing communications material is to refresh and come up with an updated look and feel. So, it was just time for an update (to the Pig Mobile),” she said to Farms.com on Friday.
The new design was unveiled at the Royal because it is the last big event of the calendar year.
“There is a bit of a hiatus, typically, over the winter … We will take feedback and anything we’ve learned from rolling out this (tool) at the Royal and make some tweaks (and any necessary improvements) over the winter,” Ash said.
The Pig Mobile is on display at local fairs and events but also makes appearances at the Canadian National Exhibition, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and the International Plowing Match.
“Combined, you’re looking at a potential audience of more than two million people. We want to make sure that we are really reinforcing the Ontario Pork public facing brand and helping people understand the pork industry better,” Ash said.
The producer organization is also showcasing entries in its Ontario Pork Proud photo contest. Farmer-submitted photos are displayed on large posters.
“(Ontario Pork is) integrating those (photos) with some basic core messages about the industry. This is an industry that is very committed to communities, that has donated more than a million servings of fresh pork, for example, to Ontario foodbanks,” Ash stated.
“(The posters) remind people that pork grown in Canada is always grown without added hormones; that pork is always free of antibiotic residue before it goes to market. So, that is part of the exhibit now as well.”
Staff and volunteers at the Pig Mobile exhibit also have pamphlets, fact sheets and recipe cards available for the public. The Pig Mobile can be found in Hall D at the Royal until Nov. 12. On site, there are volunteers answering any questions the public may have about the exhibit and the pig industry.