Source:  Richard Smith, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 2/4/11

Two hundred out of 20,000 Japanese applicants each won one kilo (2.2 pounds) of free U.S. pork back rib in an online promotion held here Nov. 20 to Jan. 6 by the U.S. Meat Export Federation, the organization's Japan office told Meatingplace.

The Japan director for trade projects and trade communications said the promotion was part of USMEF's consumer/trade joint activities to enhance awareness and receptivity towards bone-in products. By filling a questionnaire linked to USMEF's Japan website, consumers could apply for giveaways of one kilo of U.S. pork back rib, Sam Harada said. Harada said USMEF announced the campaign on its website, package stickers and an online banner ad,  as well as popular cooking and housewives' websites such as Cookpad.

"This is a unique approach in the industry, where only the web (but the web now gets quite good "traction" among housewives and general consumers) is used as a billboard to attract consumers," he said.

USMEF introduced U.S. pork back rib to Japanese consumers in 2009 at Foodex, a mega international food fair held every year in March. The product quickly gained market attention, as its voluminous appearance suited consumer desire of more quantity and quality at a lesser price, Harada said. "In the past there was not much demand for bone-in pork products, as consumer felt they got less quantity," he said.

"MEF was keen to publicizing the products first to the trade, through various educational and communication activities such as seminars and news coverage by trade and business journals, in order to build solid demand first in the industry," Harada said.

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